Everto Trucido
by Rumpel0000
Summary: Grace Potter's mysterious, inherited talents as an Everto Trucido who travels between worlds and fights demons make her a little stranger than the average sixth year student. When Grace is extended an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the dawning of the First Wizarding War, she finally has a chance to meet... *Needs editing, rehosted here for now
1. The Trial

**AN: This story is in desperate need of edits, the subplots that are being abandoned drop off midway through. This story is being rehosted here for the time being, and then I'll undergo my rewrites for it in the future. Criticism welcomed.**

 **Also, though does not fall into the 'fandom' as a crossover, does draw parallels to the _Once Upon a Time_ tv series.**

* * *

 _November, 1998_

"This is a ruse...it must be!" Kingsley Shacklebolt exclaimed, his accent thick with fright and astonishment.

The woman in the middle of courtroom, the one who had the entire Wizengamot council in a state of silenced awe, smiled up at him with clear blue eyes. Her body language suggested that she was exhausted as she slouched forward, her shoulders rounded. It was not a lie, she had been to hell and back just to be there but it was important that she kept the court date that would clear the names of the innocent. Her clothes were torn, as was her skin; dried blood was splattered across her face and arms, pasting some of her brown hair to her forehead. But she smiled, her main task completed. She seemed to take a moment to consider carefully her words. For a woman who knew so many words in so many different languages, choosing them appropriately was an apparent challenge.

Finally she spoke. "Now Minister, this is no illusion-" but was cut off by Shacklebolt's interjection.

"No magic can bring back the dead!"

The Wizengamot broke out into a fury of harsh whispers, finally recovering from their silenced shock. Panic rose swiftly throughout the courtroom. The wizards and witches of the council began to draw their wands, some beginning to descend from the bench that extended high above Grace's head. Their murmurs grew louder, drowning out the woman's explanation. Shacklebolt stared at the people standing behind Grace, most of whom were dead, some for a very long time.

A booming voice suddenly ripped through the air, halting the excitement. "Silence!"

Albus Dumbledore approached the woman, stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder as the courtroom seemed to freeze. The stilled people had their eyes transfixed on Albus, whose kind eyes returned their gaze. It could not possibly be him, for he was dead, and as Shacklebolt claimed, there is no magic that can bring the dead to life again.

Albus cleared his throat and said softly, "If you all have forgotten, this is a trial, but not a trial for Grace Potter. If you want your questions answered, then I suggest you simply listen to her."

Grace smiled again, this time at Albus as she affectionately placed her hand over his on her shoulder. "Thank you, Albus." She cleared her throat before addressing the Wizengamot. "I didn't use magic," she said firmly. "Death and I had a conversation many years ago about restoring what should be, and he made a deal with me then. I would restore what was right, with his aid, in return for something from me. Something he wanted dearly. But this all is a very, very long story and for the sake of the trial, my wish is to show you all what happened." She looked at Shacklebolt expectantly as she awaited an answer.

He blinked, looking from Grace to Albus to the rest behind them and slowly nodded. "You and Death had a conversation?" he asked slowly.

She sighed. "Indeed," she said and returned her attention to the curious Wizengamot. "As some of you may know there is a certain ability that can allow a witch or wizard to take their memories and project them to others. I can do this, as well as taking offered memories from people to do the same. But I need the help of my friends and family to do this, and must ask them a great burden to reveal their innermost secrets and precious memories. The combination of our memories will ensure truth and, hopefully, some clarity to you of the Wizengamot today. And I must also ask all of you that, if these people agree to help me show you, I may pick certain pieces from your memory about this tale that are irrelevant to the case, but may otherwise be damaging to their credibility."

"Grace, memory modifications are extremely dangerous-"

"-Not when I do them." Grace cut Shacklebolt off before lowering her voice and continuing. "Trust me, Kingsley, you know what I say is true...you know me."

Shacklebolt took a moment to study Grace, wanting to believe in his old friend the way he had once before. He sighed, finding her eyes and the truth that shone through them. "All in favor...?"

Slowly, primarily out of curiosity, the council's hands raised, one by one, until they were all up in the air.

"So it shall be," Shacklebolt said softly.

Grace turned on her heel to face the people behind her. "Please, when I call your name, come stand by me. You know me, you know you can trust me. Please let me borrow you memories. I only need to use them to project some things, and I promise to return them safely."

She cleared her throat as sentiment had begun to creep its way up from her belly, and she regarded the mass of people before her. Some had been ressurected, some had never died but were there under the pretense of assisting Grace. Some she would not call, as their memories would not suit her purpose.

"Albus Dumbledore," she said as she smiled up at him. "James and Lily Potter."

She embraced them, her arms snaking around both of their shoulders in a powerful hug, as they reached her from beyond the crowd. "Brother," she breathed. "Sister." As they joined her she continued. "Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

She watched as Remus' wife, Nymphadora Tonks, grabbed her husband's arm with a questioning gaze. "It will be alright." Remus told her with a gentle smile.

"Is that...?" Tonks' hushed voice trailed off as Remus nodded. Slowly, she released him.

Sirius wrapped an arm around Grace's shoulder and kissed her on the cheek, wary of the blood, and asked, "What have you gotten yourself into now?"

She simply smiled and nodded to Remus as he joined them, gazing at her with trepidation.

"Regulus Black."

Before his name was even halfway done being called, Regulus began to make his way to Grace, ignoring his brother when he whispered, "You brought him back?" in her ear.

"He was never dead," she whispered back simply. Ignoring his imploring look she continued. "Severus Snape."

"Seriously Grace?" Sirius suddenly sounded disgruntled. "Why would we need that—" He received a sharp elbow in his ribcage and a warning look from Grace as Severus joined her at her other side.

"Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy."

Sirius groaned.

"Alphard Black."

Sirius looked up sharply, expecting to see his uncle brought back from the dead. Instead, a young man stepped forward, his grey eyes locked on Grace. Sirius looked back to Grace to find her peeking at him out of the corner of her eye. The boy, Alphard, Sirius had never seen before. He watched him carefully, noting that the Alphard's grey eyes had locked onto him. A smile graced Alphard's features. Grace wondered if Sirius would think that he was Regulus', instead of his own. Alphard was Marlene's boy, although she would never know him.

"Abigail Potter."

The redhead was swift to follow her name and she easily caught up with Al's lackadaisical strides. She waved gleefully at Lily and James as she caught their eyes. Chuckling, James and Lily returned the motion. Neither of them had seen their daughter since the cold day in October when Grace suggested that she take her niece to help ease the stress of the prophecy that hung so treacherously over James and Lily's heads.

"Emery Lupin and…Eileen Snape." Grace was careful not to look at Severus as she felt him stiffen beside her in response to the dark-haired girl's disunion from the crowd. She was named after her paternal grandmother, Eileen Snape nee Prince. Grace smiled proudly at her daughter, but Eileen's gaze never left Severus.

Remus had gone quite pale as well, watching the boy that Eileen had hooked arms with. Emery was a product of a misadventure between Grace's childhood friend Anne and Remus that Grace was certain he was not even aware of. His shock matched that of his wife's from across the room.

Grace had made it a point to tell the children that she had raised everything that she possibly could about their parents. She had shown them pictures and told fond stories, enabling the kids to familiarize themselves with their parents. She made them aware, however, that some of their parents were blissfully unaware of their existence. Grace had attempted to explain the reasoning behind this to the four children when they were old enough to understand. Upon learning of their pregnancies, cowardice had prevented Grace Potter, Marlene McKinnon, and Anne Smithville from informing the fathers. The woman had thought it best as there was no love in the conception, or so they told themselves.

Grace gathered herself, gently touching the serpent pendant around her neck, and continued to ignore Severus' burning gaze. "Well, then, I believe that's everyone—"

"Not quite, Sweetie," a rather chipper voice sang, interrupting her.

Grace visually tensed as she turned to the offender. She glared at him, spitting, "I thought portal jumping wasn't one of your abilities, Atrum."

He laughed, his body quivering with it. "I lied."

"Nobody needs to see your memories."

She was caught off-guard as Severus grabbed her arms and spun her to face him. In her distraction of dealing with Atrum, she hadn't noticed Severus' reaction to his arrival. It did not surprise her, seeing the man that had once been his father, who was hoped to be dead, standing in the courtroom, looking better than he probably ever had in his life. His eyes bore through her, his body was shaking in anger; his lip curled up in disgust and his voice was dangerously low when he spoke. "What is happening?"

Grace exhaled slowly and placed her hands on Severus' arms. She opened her mouth to speak, when Atrum cut in instead.

"What's the matter sonny, didn't miss me?" Atrum laughed, giddy. "I believe you need my memories more than you think, Gracie."

Grace frowned, "I suppose now would be a decent time to begin to explain things." She looked away from Severus as he dropped his grip on her, staring at the man Grace had called Atrum.

"Who are you?" Shacklebolt asked, taking in the man's appearance. He was well dressed, his graying black hair lengthy but well-trimmed and his smile was riddled with straight, white teeth. He seemed to be physically fit, despite his aging appearance.

"Atrum Unus," he chuckled with a flourishing bow.

Grace rolled her eyes and held her hand up. "It's fine," she said. "Let's just get this over with."

She held out her hands to the people she'd called to her and ran her tongue over the scar that ran diagonally from her upper lip to her lower one. She inhaled deeply, wishing for a cigarette before she began all of this madness. Pulling at her friends' memories, she said softly. "I need you all to focus. I think it's best to start in the summer of 1976, in my sixteenth year, when I first got a letter from Albus Dumbledore. It was an invitation extended to me to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry upon my impeding graduation of Noctars' Institution for the 'Specially Gifted'..." Her voice began to fade as a picture formed before everyone's eyes.


	2. Of Loamy Dirt

_Summer, 1976_

The scene depicted Grace, only 16 standing in a bleak and dusty, cluttered room, clutching a letter, and eyeing it with anticipation. "It says I can bring a toad," she spoke finally, turning to her friend Anne Smithville who sat on her bed watching her curiously.

Anne laughed, tilting her head to the side. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, if you let me turn you into a toad..."

"No!" Anne laughed. "Why would I let you turn me into a slimy toad?"

"Well the only other options are a rat or a cat...and I really don't want to go without you," Grace whined, encircling her arms around her friend in a hug.

"Hmm. A toad, or a rat, or a cat. What kind of place are you going to?"

"It's a school for witchcraft and wizardry..."

Anne frowned for a moment. "You know we would have been separated anyway," she said softly. "I cannot believe you're getting out of here next week."

"But you'll be out soon too, I know it!" Grace interjected.

Anne was her only friend at Noctars, they grew up in the institution together. Anne was a couple years older than herself, but had not yet been able to completely harness the power of her "gift". Anne was a werewolf and, although she could mostly take control of the wolf that appeared when the moon was full, and completely transform into her wolf form, she was still forced to turn when the moon came. That was enough for the administration at Noctars to keep her here.

Grace had helped Anne as much as she could while they were there. She saw the good in her and the good in the wolf. It was the two conflicting souls trapped in her one body that had caused her such turmoil. Anne, like most werewolves, would become stuck somewhere between human and beast, and both would lose full control of their actions. Grace, however, had a special bond with werewolves. She was an Everto Trucido, a demon slayer. Since werewolves weren't innately evil, but became evil the way anything else becomes evil, she had a special interest in keeping them safe from darkness.

Anne sighed. "So, that old man that comes and visits you...he must be a wizard, right?"

Grace smiled. "Albus? Yeah, he's a wizard. He's the one who sent me that letter, he's the Headmaster of the school I'm going to be attending in the fall. Apparently, I come from a 'pure-blood' family, which means that I was bound to be a witch...I just had to finish my training here first. My brother's there, you know, James."

"Your twin? You talk about him an awful lot for never have being able to meet him."

"He's family...the only reason I haven't met him yet was for his own protection...for everybody's protection. You know how evil finds me wherever I go, I get attacked at least once a week by something and, if I wasn't trained, I would probably be dead or have accidentally killed somebody. That's why Albus suggested that my parents put me here."

With a bit of uneasiness, Anne gently smiled at Grace. "Grace why don't your parents ever write to you?"

"If something got intercepted, my family could get attacked by association with me, you know that. It'll be different at Hogwarts, though. Protection spells and all that, yeah?"

Anne laughed, "No monsters? How will you spend your free time?"

Chuckling, Grace said, "I'll probably still have to do my job, you know? Probably have to leave to fight and that."

Stopping her laughing, Anne touched Grace's arm. "So you're finally going to meet the people you've been having visions about. Are you nervous?"

Grace looked at Anne thoughtfully. "Nah, I should be fine. The visions are all jumbled anyway. The only clear thing I can see is how some of these people die, anyway. Gretchen said that things would become clearer as I go along—"

"-Was that before or after she gave you that." Anne cut her off, looking pointedly at the scar on her mouth.

Subconsciously she brought her hand up to cover it. Grace was very insecure about her scars, particularly that scar, although Anne once said that she should show her battle scars proudly because they would show her victories and remind her of their failures. "She wasn't always like that, she was good once...before she snapped."

Gretchen was a seer who had become blind as a child. She had helped Grace understand some of the visions she was seeing and made her understand that they were unchangeable as what she was seeing was a person's fate. Eventually, she became overcome with the pressure of knowing peoples' inevitable fates and lost her mind. Grace feared that something similar would happen to her. One night, Grace had gone to Gretchen after a particularly disturbing vision. Before she even had time to react, Gretchen had slashed her across the mouth with a blade, pinning her up against a wall. What she said would stay with Grace forever.

"Your words will truly be your downfall. May this forever be a reminder of that."

September 1st, 1976

Grace waded through the assortment of first-year bodies, her lips firmly pressed together. As she had never been forced to be around so many creatures at once that weren't trying to kill her, the sea of children caused a sudden onset of claustrophobia. Her uneasiness was soon accompanied by a wave on nausea as she struggled to escape the crowd. So close to her escape, Grace felt a bit scandalized by the group of girls blocking her exit as they chattered happily between themselves. They needed to move. Grace gently picked up one girl with intention to move her, when Minerva McGonagall appeared from behind one of the large doors of the Great Hall.

Grace had frozen, unsure what to do with the terrified girl she held out in front of her. She watched McGonagall falter in her stride, taking in the sight before her. Embarrassed, Grace noticed McGonagall's mouth fall open slightly, looking taken aback as she attempted to regain her composure. Grace wished, then, that she had simply asked the girl to make room for her to pass. That ship had sailed.

"Miss Potter," McGonagall began, her authoritative voice laced with worry. "What are you doing to that first year?"

Paralyzed in her moment of hesitation, Grace felt her mouth become dry. She looked from McGonagall to the girl and back again. Finally, she swallowed forcing her tongue around in her mouth in an attempt to moisten it, she suggested, "Making friends?"

McGonagall shook her head slightly. "Please put her down, Miss Potter," she snapped. "We do not manhandle other students, here."

Grace nodded and slowly, allowing the girl to drop back to the ground, released her. As her feet touched the floor, the girl recoiled away from Grace as if she were going to harm her.

Frowning, Grace opened her mouth to apologize to the girl but was cut short by McGonagall clearing her throat.

"Move along now," McGonagall said sharply. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

The doors of the Great Hall opened, revealing an abundance of students burbling amongst themselves, taking a mild interest as the first years filed in. Grace stepped through the threshold and silenced the hall for a moment before she became the subject interest for fresh conversations.

She felt a pull inside her, causing her belly to flip. Grace turned her head sharply as she walked slowly and the found the eyes that were boring into her. She inhaled and suddenly could smell him. Her breath heaved as she continued slowly forward, never taking her eyes off him. He was thin, with sandy colored hair, and golden eyes. He was a werewolf, she knew instantly, and he was her werewolf. He was the werewolf that she had been waiting for, her Servator, she could feel it. He could feel it too, she knew, the wolf inside the boy.

Suddenly, the lower half of her body collided with something very solid, nearly causing her to lose her balance. She looked down at the first year who glared back up at her as he stood with the rest of the group. Grace frowned and apologized softly before looking back over to the werewolf. He had become engulfed in a heated discussion with three other boys, stealing glances at her.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall said. "Since we have a transfer student, we shall start with her, and then proceed in alphabetical order. Potter, Grace."

Grace stepped forward, aware of the stares from the other students. She had seen her brother in the visions she had, but most were vague, and began to wonder what he would be like. What was his reputation? Which House is he in? Would he like her?

Her attention floated briefly back over to the werewolf as she sat on the stool. All four boys' attentions were on her and now able to see their faces, she knew who they were. She had seen these boys, she had seen vague triumphs, failures and otherwise—and she had seen their downfalls. One of these boys, the one with the messy hair and hazel eyes, was her brother. She smiled at them and felt the hat meet her head gently.

"Trucido," the hat whispered in her head. "I haven't sorted one of your kind in-"

A burning sensation rippled across her ribcage and along her back. Grace felt her skin tear and she gasped. The scorching continued growing in intensity and Grace grasped at her robes, feeling the two images appear, puckering her skin as if she was being branded. She felt more on her lower back. Her face was screwed up as the pain intensified and she touched one of the incomplete images. The contact instantly sent a searing pain throughout her entire body. She folded herself forward, losing balance and crashed to the ground with the stool. The Sorting Hat flew from her head. She screamed and her world turned black.

She could smell him.

He smelled of books and chocolate-chip cookies. He smelled of burning wood, a musky, smoky scent. He smelled of fresh-cut grass in the wake of a rain shower. He smelled of the earth, of loamy dirt, the kind that falls from your hands and trickles to the ground like a waterfall as it descends from a rocky cliff. He smelled of moss and tree bark. He smelled of warmth. She remembered that smell from somewhere...

Grace inhaled deeply, vaguely aware of the pain of her body and the soft surface she was resting upon. Slowly, she allowed her eyes to flutter open. She peered up at the white ceiling, confused. She inhaled again, taking in his scent, and pushed herself up to sitting, gasping as she felt the pain that reminded her of the injury to her torso.

She wrapped her arms around herself and looked around for the werewolf. She was alone. She inhaled again, and she could still smell him. Grace frowned and observed her surroundings; there were many beds, all were empty and all were white. She must be in the Hospital Wing. She brought her head down to her chest and breathed deeply.

He had carried her here.

That was why she could smell him. His scent was on her.

Grace smiled and swung her legs off the side of the bed, her smile turning into a grimace. She had to find him, to talk to him. She was vaguely worried about his reaction when she would tell him about their connection, but, according to her book, he would feel the connection as well. Only, Grace was deterred slightly, as the book also said that her Servator would most likely be her true love. That was not the case. Grace loved this werewolf, she knew, but she also knew that she would never fall in love with him. Or, at least, she was never supposed to fall in love with him. Her visions had shown him meeting his true love many years from now, but she had only hoped that they had been muddled. It would have saved her a lot of looking that she was sure she would have to continue to do.

"You're up!"

The voice ripped Grace from her thoughts and she looked about sharply. She gasped as two heads appeared, floating in the air.

"The fuck?" she spat, standing quickly, attempting to ignore the pain that gripped her.

One of the boys laughed, the one with long shaggy hair and grey eyes. The one that would fall through the Veil. "Sorry," he apologized, and the rest of their bodies appeared.

The other boy, the one she knew to be her brother, was holding a shimmering cloak in his hands.

"Invisibility cloak," James offered. "Brilliant, yeah?"

"Yeah," Grace breathed, lowering herself to sit on the bed again. "That explains some things," she muttered, reflecting on some of her visions.

"What was that?" the grey-eyed boy asked, tilting his head to the side.

Grace shook her head. "Nothing," she said. "What are you two doing here? And why the fuck are you invisible?"

James smiled, "Well, since your last name is Potter...well, I can only assume that you're the twin sister that my parents have told me about..."

"And we're invisible," the other boy chimed in, "because dear Poppy doesn't exactly like visitors this late."

Grace smiled lightly. "You're my brother, then?"

James nodded.

"I've been waiting a very long time to meet you," she said, a bubbling joyousness feeling beginning to eat away at her stomach.

He grinned at her in return. "So have I. I mean, I never thought I actually would. Mum and Dad, they don't like to talk about you much. Only that you had to leave."

Grace regarded the two boys standing before her before carefully asking, "And did our parents tell you why, exactly, it was that I had to leave?"

James nodded. "Kind of, they said that you are some kind of monster killer...or something. They said you had to leave because of the danger-"

"-You mustn't tell anyone," Grace demanded quietly, eyeing her brother. "Nor you," she finished as she addressed the other boy.

The boys exchanged looks before James asked, "Why?"

Grace sighed. "It's really not a big deal. I just don't want to have to explain things to everybody."

"Fair enough," the grey-eyed boy said with a grin.

"So...what have you been doing?" James asked, shifting his weight oddly. "And what happened in the Great Hall back there?"

"Well...," Grace began, unsure where to start. "It's actually a bit of a long story, so maybe we should wait until we're somewhere...else? I promise that we will talk but, listen, I need your help." She paused, looking from James to the other boy who returned her gaze curiously. "I need to speak with your friend...t-the tall, thin one. The one with brown eyes."

"Moony...?" the boy with grey eyes whispered to James.

Grace started. "Moony?" she gasped. "You know then? Here, take me to him." She stood gingerly, looking down at her body which was shrouded in a white hospital gown. "Do you know where my clothes are? A-and my book, I had a book on me before my...incident."

James held up his hands, shaking his head. "What do you want with Remus?" he asked firmly.

"And what do you think we know, exactly?"

Grace smiled, breathing excitedly. "Well you called him Moony, which means you must know that-" she stopped for a moment, bringing her hand up to the scar on her mouth and she faltered. "Unless you don't know...in which case...I've said too much. Look, if you could just bring me to him-"

"What do you think you know?" James demanded, his voice raising in volume slightly.

The other boy licked his lips and asked in a lower voice, "What do you want with him?"

Frowning, her brows furrowing, Grace sighed. "Listen, if you could please just trust me-"

"We don't even know you," James said slowly.

"I am your sister."

"And I have a brother, but it doesn't mean he can be trusted," the other boy confirmed.

"Listen to me, I know, okay. And if you know, then you know what I know. He's not a demon, for fuck's sake; I'm not going to harm him."

James shook his head. "Look, that's just a nickname. We all have nicknames. Sirius, here, his is Padfoot. Mine is Prongs, and our friend Peter's is Wormtail. They don't mean anything." He smirked oddly.

The visions of the werewolf, running and playing with animals came to her mind. It was always the same three animals: a dog, a stag, and a rat. They were curious animals for a werewolf to run with.

'Those nicknames,' Grace thought. It hit her all at once. They were animagi and they knew Remus' secret. Their silly nicknames gave it away; perhaps they should be careful with whom they disclosed that information.

"Sirius," she began, slowly, "James, I know. It all makes sense now. Remus is a" -Grace glanced around her, ensuring herself that there was nobody around to listen to their conversation, and lowered her voice- "werewolf and you all became animagi so that you could..." She trailed off, glancing at the wands that the boys were quick to brandish. "So that you could keep him company?" Grace smiled, feeling a tug at her heart. These boys were closer friends then she had thought.

"What is the meaning of this?" Madam Pomfrey interjected, entering the ward. "Miss Potter, why in the name of Merlin are you out of bed? As for you Mister Potter and Mister Black, you two should be ashamed of yourselves...aiming your wands at an injured student-"

"-Please, Madam Pomfrey," Grace began mildly. She had the habit of speaking too quickly, before she had time to formulate her thoughts. She would need to choose her word very carefully in order to reach her ultimate wants. "I expect Professor Dumbledore told you about what I am?" She waited for the nurse to nod expectantly. "Well, then you must understand that my magic doesn't exactly work the same way as the rest of the students. My brother and Sirius, well, they were just demonstrating for me...how they use magic. I don't have a wand and was curious on how one works."

Madam Pomfrey seemed to puff up physically. "Well, that certainly could have waited until the morning. What are the two of you even doing here? It's nearly midnight and Miss Potter needs her rest!"

"Poppy," Sirius began, flashing her a toothy smile. "Jamesie here just wanted to meet his sister, and I of course am here for moral support, surely you can understand?" he finished, quirking an eyebrow.

Huffing, Madam Pomfrey put her hands on her hips, her face reddening slightly. "Mister Black! It is time for you and Mister Potter to leave, Miss Potter needs her rest and—"

"Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey?" Grace began, carefully. "I have important matters to attend to involving my...occupation...and I must leave. Could you possibly tell me what House I belong to so that I may get my things?"

"Miss Potter, you are not fully healed yet—"

"-I can assure you I am," Grace lied. "Because of what I am, I have special regenerative properties in my blood. I am fully healed. And, as I am sure Dumbledore has also told you, that my job is a very important one and can be halted for nothing."

Grace felt a bit of regret for lying, but it was imperative that she speak to Remus. Beside, it wasn't all a lie. She did have regenerative properties, and her job was extremely important, but she was not fully healed and did not have a mission to do at the moment. She would, however heal in a matter of hours, she was sure. She watched as the nurse pursed her lips in consideration.

"Absolutely not! No more arguments." Madame Pomfrey shooed the boys from the wing.

Grace smiled flatly and asked, "What happened to me anyway?"

"You will have to speak to Professor Dumbledore in the morning," Pomfrey said.

Despite her nagging voices advising her otherwise, Grace took the first moment she could to sneak out of the ward. Happily, she was able to catch up to James and Sirius just down the corridor.

"So," James said, finally after having walked for several long moments in silence alongside Grace and Sirius. "Who told you?"

Considering his question carefully, Grace said quietly, "Nobody told me. I can kind of see things, some things. It's very spotty. I'd been having visions of a werewolf running with a rat, a large dog, and a stag. When I saw Remus, I knew he was the werewolf—"

"Shush," Sirius hissed. "Don't talk about these things in the middle of the corridors!"

It was already after midnight, and Grace suspected that there wouldn't be anybody around to hear her, but ignored the matter anyway. She stepped onto a staircase and continued, "-and when I heard all of your nicknames, well, I kind of just figured it out from there."

"Wait, how did you know it was him?" James asked.

Grace sighed, "Well you already know I'm an Everto Trucido, a demon slayer. We have a special connection with werewolves, by best friend from the institution I was attending is a werewolf, her name's Anne. She gave me this—" Grace held her arm out in front of her, showing off her bracelet. She had only two charms, a moon and a wand. "Well, the moon charm anyway. Albus gave me the wand..."

"She's on a first-name basis with Dumbledore?" Sirius mused. "Most people have the courtesy to call him Professor Dumbledore, here..."

James seemed to ignore this. "So, you could sense Moony?"

Nodding, Grace smiled. "Yes," she sighed, "but there's much more to it than that. Remus is special...but I can explain inside, looks like we're here." She stopped in front of the portrait.

"You've been to the castle before?" Sirius asked, realization dawning on him that neither he nor James had actually led her here.

"Mhm, a few times. Now, c'mon." She tugged at his arm eagerly.

Grace's heart fluttered in her chest as they reached to door to the boy's dorm. Remus' scent ambushed her senses as they had neared, but was most overpowering now as James slowly turned the door handle and pushed open the door.

"Wont we wake everyone?" Grace asked in a whisper.

Sirius laughed, "Just the four of us in here, special circumstances, I'm sure you understand, eh love?"

The door was closed behind her and James raised the lights, shouting "Up and at 'em, mates! We've got ourselves a visitor!"

A short slightly pudgy boy threw back the hangings on his bed and squinted out into the light. Grace inhaled. This was Peter, then. This was the boy who was going to betray his friends. This was the boy who would be the death of her brother and his future wife.

"Hello," he yawned, stepping out of his bed, his striped pajamas clashing with the room's decor.

Grace swallowed. She needed to maintain her composure. This Peter was still good. This wasn't the same Peter who was riddled with cowardice. She needed to remember just that because, if she didn't, she feared she would be motivated to intervene with fate. She smiled awkwardly and nodded to him in response, hoping that would come across friendly enough.

"Moony," Sirius said in a sing-song voice, pulling open the curtains around the werewolf's bed. "There's someone here to talk to you."

Grace watched for a moment as Remus inhaled. She knew he could smell her. After only a few seconds, Remus was standing, staring at her wildly.

"What is she doing here?" he asked in a low, soft voice.

Before anyone had been able to respond to his question, Grace had lost control of herself and found herself wrapping her arms around the boy in a warm embrace. Her wounds screamed at her under the sudden pressure of another body, but she ignored them. "I have waited so long to meet you!" she whispered, inhaling his scent deeply. She could feel him doing the same to her, smelling her. She realized that he was probably very confused. The wolf inside him was yearning for her and the boy didn't know why.

She tilted her head back to look into his eyes, the wolf peering through back at her.

"What are you doing?" he asked shakily. "Who are you?"

Grace smiled at him. "I suppose I have quite a bit of explaining to do..."

"And, hello, we are still in the room, you know," Sirius said indignantly, standing next to James and Peter.

Reluctantly letting go, Grace turned around to face the other three boys in the room. "Well," she said. "Maybe you all should take a seat, it's a bit of a long story..."


	3. Words, Words, Words

September 1st, 1976

6:40 am

Grace closed her handbook, warily glancing out the window at the sun that was beginning to peek out from behind the Forbidden Forest, staining the sky pink and orange. She was seated on the floor with the four boys. James and Peter, despite their inclined interest, had fallen asleep on the hard surface. Sirius, although quite silent, had remained awake with Grace and Remus and now sat with a hardened look on his face, a contemplative look.

Remus, who had been making inquiries since they had started, continued. "So let me get this straight," he began dryly. "I'm your Servator, your protector or savior or whatever. We're destined to be together but not in a romantic fashion as I am not your true love, but what you called the 'wolf' inside me lusts for you. And you want to train me, to control said wolf, to bond with it, so that I can turn into this wolf completely and control when will, or will not, turn into said wolf... And then you want me to fight with you?"

"Well, along side me. But you've pretty much got the idea." Grace smiled

Remus frowned. "You do know that there isn't actually a wolf inside me, right? It's just what they call the beast that I turn into-"

"-But there is!" Grace cut him off frantically. "Two souls trapped in one body, fighting for control, that is what is so tragic about your curse! That's why you turn into that 'beast' during the moon, Remus. It's your soul and the wolf's soul fighting to gain control. I know it gets a bit complex, but it will work Remus; I've done this before, you just have to trust me..."

Remus sighed and looked away.

"I don't know, Moony," Sirius said, breaking his bout of silence. "We don't know her. Do you really think that we can trust her?"

"Sitting right here..."

"Damocles is working on this potion that's supposed to help-"

Grace shook her head, interrupting him. "The wolfsbane potion? Yes, that will be of great help to the werewolves that can obtain it, but it only will ease the symptoms of the curse, not destroy it. I am offering you a way to live with this, the both of you -you and the wolf- to live with one another.

"Anne is my dearest friend, the one who attended the institution with me, and I helped her with this too. Except Anne is not my Servator, so I'm sure that this time it will be much easier, if you only tried."

Remus and Sirius exchanged looks, as if having an entire conversation of their own. Grace waited, slightly impatient, and her nerves a bit short due to lack of sleep. The boys eventually looked back at her. She felt as though she was being judged, dissected and displayed for all to see. Fear gripped her as a thought of them questioning her mental stability forced its way into her mind. She was not entirely sure that she would believe her, if she were to switch places with them.

"Tell me something, Remus. It was you who carried me to the Hospital wing, wasn't it?" Grace continued, in hopes of gaining their trust.

Remus nodded slowly.

"Why did you do that?"

He hesitated for a moment, opening his mouth and then closing it again. He looked from Grace, to Sirius, to his slumbering comrades and sighed, sounding a bit frustrated as he spoke. "Because...because you needed my help."

"Because the wolf has a special connection with me, and sensed my turmoil," Grace finished for him, her mouth curving into a slight smile.

"Well," Sirius added, slapping Remus affectionately on the back, "Moony here is a good guy; he would've helped any damsel in distress."

Grace smiled. "You said your last name was Lupin, right?"

Remus narrowed his eyes a bit and nodded, saying, "Yeah, why?"

"So your father is Lyall Lupin, I assume?" Grace pressed.

"Uhm, well yeah."

"I met your father a couple of years ago, when I was 14. I needed his help defeating a particularly pesky lethifold. It had devoured nearly half of a village, for some reason its hunger seemed insatiable. I had tried to defeat it myself but, y'know, you can't exactly kill non-beings. I'm luckily I had a functioning patronous charm or it probably would of eaten me too. An acquaintance of mine referred Lyall to me because of his skill in non-human spirituous apparitions and he helped me...deal...with the lethifold. I positively despise creatures with amortaltiy...it makes my job exceedingly difficult."

Remus smiled thoughtfully saying, "You can't kill what isn't exactly alive."

Yawning, Sirius laughed. "You and Remus' dad defeated a lethifold when you were fourteen? Impressed."

Grace laughed and stood slowly. "How about I give you some time to think about this, and to get some sleep. I've got to go speak with Albus."

Before she left, Remus called her name. "You wont tell anyone, right? About me...or the others?" Worry shimmered through his honey-colored eyes.

Grinning, Grace snorted, wondering if he really thought that she was going to tell his secret. She wondered if he really thought she could be that kind of a monster. She knew, of course, the prejudices surrounding lycanthropy. "Of course not. And I trust you'll keep my secret as well?"

To her dismay, Grace soon realized that she had no idea where exactly she would find her dorm room, and she desperately needed a shower. She stood in the common room, glaring at the staircase that ascended before her, wishing that if she won the idiosyncratic staring contest, then the inanimate object would reveal the secret location of her sleeping quarters. Out of all the enemies she had, Grace felt a particularly strong emotion for the staircase, perhaps because she could not technically defeat it. For the time being, she would despise this stairwell.

As a door softly clicked close above her, she was pulled from her thoughts. Footsteps approached the top of the staircase and Grace panicked a bit, deciding how exactly she could appear to be acting natural and not plotting against her enemy. She glanced briefly over her shoulder into the common room at the numerous amounts of furniture she could run to but there was no time for that.

The creak of the top step caused Grace to wince as she turned her attention back to the approaching body. With fiery red hair falling over her shoulders in a waterfall of glory, the girl descended with ease. Upon noticing Grace at the bottom, she gave her an odd look and Grace stepped aside so that she could reach the bottom.

"Hello...?" the red-head said kindly. "What are you doing?"

Grace sighed, feeling thwarted and a bit like a child caught doing something naughty. "I don't know where my room is," she muttered, looking anywhere but the green eyes that stared at her curiously. This was James' wife, Grace knew, or at least his future wife. She had only just met the girl and already felt foolish. She seriously considered altering the red-head's memory and trying again.

The girl smiled at her, extending her hand. "You must be Grace." she said. "I'm Lily Evans."

Grace forced a smile and reached out her hand to shake Lily's. At the contact however, Grace felt her mind assaulted by images, some she had previously seen and some that were new.

Images of a younger Lily laying in the grass with a dark-haired boy, speaking unheard words to one another in content. An older version of her appeared, smiling proudly as she stood from the stool at her sorting ceremony. A scene of her brother appeared, smiling cheekily at Lily while the red-head responded in a glare, a foul look upon her face. The same girl that stood before her now was red in the face as she opened her mouth in silent commands at James, who had that dark haired boy dangling upside down under the power of his wand. There was flash-forward to Lily standing protectively before a crib. With a flash of light, the scene ended as the life left her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

Grace heard the faint voice and she opened her eyes. She was on her knees, her hands entwined in her own hair, pressing against her temples. She steeled herself, forcing her breathing her slow as she became away of the body crouched down next to her and the hand on her back.

She tuned her head to look at Lily's concerned face feeling her mouth slightly falling open. Yes, she was definitely going to have to erase this girl's memories...

"Are you alright?" Lily asked again with urgency.

"Yeah," Grace whispered, standing. "Yeah I'm fine. I must still be a little light-headed from yesterday..."

Lily frowned. "Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing...?"

"I've been there all night," Grace lied. "Madame Pomfrey said that I'd be fine, I must have become too excited or something, but I hit my head when I fell. I think that I just need to find my dorm..."

Pressing her lips together, Lily continued to visually assess her. Grace was flashing her a most convincing smile, and Lily eventually returned it slightly.

"Up the stairs, fourth door on the left," Lily said. "You're sharing a dorm with me. The other girls are still sleeping, though, they're not very early risers, especially on a Saturday."

"Oh perfect! Thank you!"

Lily nodded. "No problem. And listen, I'm a prefect and if you need any help, just come ask me, okay?"

"Alright, thank you. It was nice meeting you." Well, maybe she would hesitate to charm Lily's memory, for the time being. Perhaps Lily would overlook Grace's first impression.

"The fuck?" Grace growled, standing before the large mirror in the bathroom. The bandages that had been wrapped around her body were laying in a pool around her feet. She stared at her body in the mirror's reflection in horror.

Her wounds had indeed healed, but dark scars remained etched into her. Along the side of her ribcage was a lion, rearing back on its hind legs, its feet resting on her hip bone. It's mouth was open, lips curled in what she could only presume to be a ferocious growl. It faced the viper that was mirroring its posture and movement along the opposite ribcage. She touched one of the images, feeling the raised skin under her fingers.

Groaning in frustration, she turned around and peeked over her shoulder into the mirror. An eagle and a badger were returning her gaze from her lower back, like unwanted tattoos, mocking her.

A strangled, furious shriek erupted from her throat. "Fuck me!" she swore, slamming her hand up against a wall in frustration. "Fuck! Fuck! Balls!" Her breathing was labored and she felt hot tears behind her eyes.

There was an abrupt knock at the bathroom door.

"Is everything alright?" a soft voice asked.

Grace looked at the door, having forgotten about the sleeping girls beyond its barrier. "Fine...I'm fine," she managed to say through gritted teeth.

She walked to the bath, turning the knobs and putting a stopper in the drain as the water warmed. Grace willed the sound of the water to calm herself, but her nerves were too rattled, so she lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. The smooth smoke almost instantly brought her temporary relief and she sank into the water, reveling in the heat.

8:25 am

"What the fuck, Albus?" Grace exclaimed, showing off her newly acquired scars. At his chuckle, however, she shoved her sweatshirt back down to cover the offending scars. She leaned forward, slapping her hands on the front of his desk and pouted, her lower lip protruding slightly before pressing firmly back against the upper one indignantly. "It's not funny, Albus," she said sounding exasperated. "That motherfucking rotten hat gave me more scars-and did you see them? The House symbols? I mean, what the hell is that? I ought to burn that wretched-"

"-Calm yourself, Grace," Albus demanded, agitation making itself known.

Grace would have to heed his words; she knew better than to act this way around Albus.

She exhaled a couple of times before dropping down to sit in her previously abandoned chair. She knew that Albus did not approve of her foul language. Despite her best attempts to censor herself, however, it seemed that stressful times brought out the worst of it. Folding her arms across her chest she apologozed, a hint of defiance creeping its way into her voice.

Albus quirked and eyebrow and sighed, folding his hands in front of him. He stared at them for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face before lifting his eyes back to Grace, who was staring at him expectantly.

"Now Grace," he began slowly. "There hasn't been a known Trucido for generations. Furthermore, not much is really known about them other than that it s their duty to destroy dark creatures and beings. If there isn't anything in your handbook about this, then I suppose it's just another mystery of this castle. I don't, however, feel as though the Sorting Hat is to blame."

"Bullsh-" Grace stopped and exhaled. "Scat."

"Grace, your ancestors are the one's who wrote that handbook for future generations to use. You, yourself have even written a few pages, have you not? Perhaps you can add your experience and maybe one day you will figure it out. When your great-great-great grandmother decided not to marry her true love, that child she bore ended the Trucido line. The world thought that this was permanent until your mother met your father and had James and yourself. Somewhere in her blood that gene was laying dormant, and became activated upon their union. It seemed that somehow, someway, your mother was able to meet her true love...your father. But this is generations later than your grandparents', things change."

Noting the urgency in his voice, Grace watched her godfather carefully and realized that, much like she herself, really did not understand what was happening to her. Albus- the man who had given her the handbook as a present when she was a child, the man who had been able to give her nearly every answer about who she was, why she was, why she was where she was, and all of her questions about the magic she could create- was stumped by an occurrence in his own school. He was the one who had taken her with him to this school for a few years now to spend the holidays and the summers, so that she wouldn't be confined at that institution. He'd been her mentor, her savior, and the only father-figure that she could ever remember, and now he had no answers to give her.

Grace noted the troubled look on his face and offered him the most truthful smile she could muster. "I'm sorry," she said, looking away. "I guess I got myself a bit riled up..."

Albus smiled gently. "Given your current occupation, I would advise you to lean how to control your temper, especially in the face of stressful cricumstances."

Grace frowned, knowing that he was right.

"As long as we are on the subject of the Sorting Hat," he said, "there is one minor complication. You see, you were never actually placed in a specific House."

Snorting, Grace rolled her eyes. "I don't belong anywhere? Shocking," she muttered, sarcasm rolling off her tongue with the words.

"Perhaps you could look at it as if you have potential in each of the Houses. In that case, you fit in everywhere," Albus said, thoughtfully.

Grace shrugged. "And then I was branded...thanks castle."

"Due to the cirriculum's structure- not to mention living arrangements- it is ideal that you belong to a specific House. I have arranged rooms for you in each of the Houses for now, but I strongly suggest choosing one soon."

"Well, the only people that I know so far are in Gryffindor. I suppose that's the House that I should be in, then?"

Albus considered her carefully. "If that is what you wish, but be careful not to fall into House prejudices, Grace. I am sure there is a reason your body now bears images of all four symbols."

"Seriously, these people still have prejudices against one another because of what traits they value the most? Salazar and Godric didn't realize what they were starting, did they?"

Chuckling, Albus observed her as she finally dropped her hands to her lap. "Madame Pomfrey tells me that you had a mission that tore you away from her care so early in the morning," Albus mentioned, pressing her gently for information.

"Uhm." Grace blanched for a moment before her cheeks began to burn slightly. "Well, you see, I kind of lied a bit..." She paused, watching Albus raise his eyebrows, although remaining silent. "But it was important! I met- Well, I met my Servator."

Albus chuckled, "Mister Lupin is your Servator; that's interesting."

"Only one werewolf at Hogwarts? Disappointing."

"You've said previously that you didn't think that he would be your true love...?"

"He's not. In fact, I'm not entirely sure he likes me, or the situation."

Albus, with one of his hands to his lips in contemplation, nodded. "Grace, how much information did you divulge to him...?"

Clasping her hands in her lap, Grace looked down at them, playing with one of the long scars that ran up the side of her thumb. "A bit," she mumbled. "I may have become a bit excited- But he's my Servator! He can feel the link, I know he can, he's just..."

Sighing as Grace trailed off in thought, Albus stood from his desk. He rounded it with his hands clasped behind his back, stopping before her. His lilac-colored robes flourished a bit as he leaned upon his desk, stooping his normally tall figure to make himself slightly more level with the seated girl. Frowning as she brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them in a defeated hug, he gave her a most endearing look.

"Grace," he began, gently. "How much have you seen of Mister Lupin? How much do you know about him?"

With a brief moment of contemplation, Grace bit her lower lip. There were visions of a child, whom she now knew to be Remus, as he was attacked by a werewolf. There were visions of the same child enduring excruciatingly painful transformations. There were visions of Albus going to his household where Lyall and his wife Hope (of whom he had often spoke) attempted to deter him from meeting their son. There were visions of the boy, much closer to his current age, in a shack, again transforming with blood-curdling screams and whimpers that eventually turned into angry howls. There were visions of the werewolf running through the woods, playfully chasing his friends in their animangus forms. There were visions of a broken man, slightly older at James and his wife's funeral, crying and alone save Albus' comforting presence. There were visions of the man even older holding an eviction notice in his hands with frown etched into his features. There were visions of the man that had warped time even further kissing the woman that he would one day marry. There were visions of that man holding his newborn child. There was even the one vision of the man falling to the ground, his soul leaving his eyes at the edge of his demise.

Some of the gaps, Grace assumed, were periods of times that he would be with her, for she had yet to have a vision about somebody being directly affected by her or the reversal. She realized though that she really did not know that much about him, other than his condition. Albus may have been right about this one, she had only wished she had spoken to him before she rushed to her Servator's side.

"Listen to me, Grace." Albus asked of her.

She hazily came out of her thoughts and turned her attention to the aging wizard before her.

"You remember Lyall Lupin, correct? I don't think that I need to tell you that he is your Servator's father. Lyall was a man of prejudice concerning the werewolf community and did not have any hesitation to make his feelings regarding them well-known. This of course, was before Remus was born and when he was still a young child, before he had been bitten.

"One day, in 1964, a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback was brought into the Ministry of Magic for questioning in the aftermath of an attack of two muggle children that resulted in their death. The Ministry of course did not know what he was at the time because the Werewolf Registry was in a shocking state of disarray. Greyback, an extremely good actor as it turned out, swore he was a muggle. His skill at feigning the horror he felt upon hearing the deaths of the children and the way he was completely mesmerized by the revelation of a wizarding world left the officials at the Ministry convinced, ordering his release.

"That is, until Lyall Lupin, who had been brought into the questioning committee due to his skill and authority on Non-Human Spirituous Apparitions, spotted some of the tell-tale signs that he was a werewolf. He demanded that Greyback be held until the following full moon (a relatively reasonable request being that the full moon would be the very next day), just as a precaution.

"He was taunted, however, by the other officials, feeling that Lyall was overreacting due to his prejudice. I believe Lyall told me that one of the Ministry officials said to him, 'Lyall, you just stick to Welsh Boggarts, that's what you're good at.' The teasing had upset Lyall, he told me, and he had lost his temper. There, in that room, before Greyback and the officials, Lyall had accidentally condemned his son. He had stood his ground, sure in himself that Greyback might be a werewolf. Lyall had said that all werewolves were 'soulless, evil, deserving of nothing but death'.

"The council chose to let him go, believing that he was a muggle. Upon his departure a member had attempted to put a memory charm on the supposed muggle. Greyback had overpowered the man, fleeing the ministry. He wanted revenge on Lyall for his prejudice.

"Sometime later that year, Greyback had discovered the home of Lyall and Hope Lupin. You see, Greyback intentions are to turn children into werewolves, and raise them in some kind of werewolf community where they will learn to hate other people other than their own kind. Voldemort has been using him as a weapon to threaten families with their own children...

"One night, shortly before young mister Lupin turned five, Greyback had attacked the boy in his sleep. His intention was, of course, to take Remus with him, but Lyall had managed to get to the boy in time and had been able to ward off the werewolf. He wasn't in time to save his son from the cursed bite.

"Remus had been extremely sheltered by Lyall and Hope after that, fearful of what a prejudice community would do to the boy. They moved constantly with the boy, trying to avoid any suspicion. I cannot be sure that mister Lupin was able to make any friends at all until he came here. They even tried to stop me from taking the boy to Hogwarts, not knowing that my spies had already informed me of the boy's condition that Greyback had proudly divulged to them.

"Of course, I have made...accommodations for mister Lupin here. But the point is, Grace, that he is ashamed of his lycanthropy but has learned to live with it. I am unsure that he his ready to embrace it like you wish him to. Perhaps, if you would try to be his friend first, not pushing him too hard into this, he may eventually come around."

Grace frowned, emotion bubbling from the pit of her stomach. "Lyall?" she choked out. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Lyall said that? That all werewolves were soulless and deserved to die? Did he really believe that...?"

"Lyall was a man who believed in his prejudices with conviction. Whether or not he truly believed what he said that day, I am unsure of, but it did not matter what he really believed. The only thing that made a difference was the words that he had uttered."

Grace mused over the tragicomic-irony. Lyall had been prejudice against werewolves but his son became what he had hated, due to his words. Words were going to be Grace's downfall, according to Gretchen, and evidently they had become Lyall's too. Her Servant would serve as yet another reminder of how a single utterance can destroy a person's life.

"You are probably right," Grace said finally allowing her legs to slide down the chair so that her feet would touch the ground once again.

"I am always right, dear," he chuckled with a twinkle in his eyes.

Grace laughed. "By the way, how is your war going anyway?" she asked as an afterthought.

While raising his eyebrows, Albus sighed, saying, "It would be going perhaps a bit better if you would agree to offer your assistance. Voldemort's Death Eater association continues to grow in fierce numbers. But as you have said, you are dealing with your own war. Which brings me to ask, and yours?"

Frowning, Grace shrugged. "You know, vampires, blood, decapitation and all that. Thank gods they can't portal jump, can you imagine them in this realm? I'd never get a moments peace. I haven't received any word on what our next step is though. For now it seems we are at a standstill. The vampires have retreated considerably but are holding against the Cruors with vigor. That war aside, I'm still unsure as to whether or not I'd be able to help anyway. Death wasn't very clear on his rule of not interfering."

"So it may be," Albus said, his voice remaining light. "I also should mention that it seems Madame Pomfrey is concerned for you. It seems you disappeared from your cot in the middle of the night. Something she thinks warrants a detention. I'm inclined to agree."

3:10 p.m.

Grace had woken from her brief period of sleep and decided that she needed to fix things with Remus. Albus was right, after all. She had discovered that they were not in their dorm, however. With the late August sun gracing the grounds and the weather clear and certainly enticing, Grace thought it best to continue her search outside.

The sun kissed Grace's face as she contentedly strolled across brilliantly green grass that bent easily beneath her feet. It seemed that many of the students had taken to the vast sanctuary that was the grounds of Hogwarts, basking in the delight of the day and their friends. Some of the faces she could remember vaguely from her visions but many were still strangers to her.

She spotted the four boys under a thick, shady tree. As she neared she was able to catch a bit of their relaxed conversation.

"...and my parents said that Molly Weasley had her baby less than a week ago. It's another boy," James was telling his friends.

"What's that now? Three boys? Poor Molly," Sirius added with a grin.

It did not take them long to notice her arrival. James greeted her, cheerfully, "Hey Grace!"

She greeted them all, taking a seat beneath the tree. She turned her attention to Remus, who looked at her with a bit of trepidation. "Look, Remus, I wanted to talk to you-"

"I thought that you were giving me time to think about...whatever this is exactly?" He was frowning at her with a serious look on his face.

"Well that's what I wanted to talk to you about. I may have been a bit...hasty? I shouldn't have thrown this all on you, I mean,you don't even know who I am. So, I was wondering if there was a chance we could start over...be friends, maybe?" she asked, offering a smile.

He regarded her warily, glancing at James who shrugged in return. It was several long seconds before Remus looked back at her, saying with a bit of apprehension, "Alright, I think we can do that..."

"Terrific!" She beamed at him. She raised herself to her knees and leaned towards him, placing her hands at the sides of his head. "Now just hold still, the memory charm wont hurt at all-"

"Grace!" James exclaimed, pulling her swiftly away from the werewolf. "You can't erase Remus' memory!"

She blinked up at him and laughed. "Of course I can; it's easy! Watch-"

"He's not questioning your ability, Grace." Remus cut her off, looking offended. "You can't just going around erasing people's memories."

"Why not?"

Sirius laughed at her. "I'm not one for abiding by the rules, either Grace, but some things just come down to morality."

Grace was confused. She didn't see any kind of morality issue erasing people's memories. After all, if they can't remember, there shouldn't be an issue. Sometimes it was better to forget.

In her silence, Remus sighed. "Look Grace, we can try to be friends but you have to promise me that you wont try to erase my memory...or anybody else's for that matter."

"If that's what you want," she conceded.

"Your sister's a bit of a looney, mate," Sirius said to James, causing Peter to laugh.

"Hey!" Grace interjected, indignantly, trying to conceal a smile as they continued to chuckle.

James' attention was lost somewhere in the distance suddenly and a smirk appeared across his features.

Grace glanced over her shoulder. The boy with the dark hair that she had seen in her visions with Lily was walking across the grounds by the lake alone. His head down was down, his lengthy black hair fell into his face and his shoulders were rounded forward slightly. He looked a bit disheveled.

Her heart beat accelerated, and her lungs refused to inhale. Grace furrowed her brows, frowning. The pull inside of her wasn't like the connection to a werewolf, it was strange. Her stomach heaved. She felt mesmerized for a moment, curiosity striking her.

"James," she barely heard Remus say, "don't you think it's a bit early in the year-"

He was interrupted and Grace felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back up into her brother's eyes.

"Let me introduce you to my old friend, Snivellus," he said with a laugh.

"Snivellus?" Grace inquired. "That's an odd name."

Peter laughed.

She was ushered forward, trepidation gripping her as she reflected back to the vision of him being held in the air by James, but her curiosity willed her forward in uncertainty. Her eyes found the dark-haired boy again as they gained some ground on him.

She felt a strange pull and her eyes widened. An odd feeling bubbled in her stomach, making her a bit uncomfortable. She wondered why. Grace faltered in her stride. Her pull towards Remus had been so strong, but this was a bit off. She had to find out what this new occurance was.

And then, everything happened so fast.

Snivellus spun around, already armed with his wand in hand, as James called his name.

A spell was thrown at Sirius, who blocked it quickly.

James disarmed Snivellus and Sirius used the Aguamenti Charm, soaking him, muttering, "Bad Snivellus!"

Peter cheered them on.

Remus stood silently next to Grace.

With a swift flourish of his wand, James shouted, "Rictusempra!" As the spell hit Snivellus, he let out an odd, strangled sound. He moved his hands around his body uncomfortably, his breath heaving.

Grace blanched. "Stop," she whispered and felt Remus look down at her. "Stop!"

She found herself between the four boys and Snivellus, casting a shielding charm in front of the latter boy. She backed herself into the shield so that her back was flat against it.

"Awe, Grace, look what you did. He's getting away!" Sirius complained, lowering his wand.

James chuckled and said, "Don't worry about ol' Snivellus, Grace. He likes to play with us." He patted her on the shoulder despite her frown.

Sirius groaned. "Well, dinner's still a bit off. I guess we can go down to the kitchens and get some snacks."

"Yeah!" agreed Peter, enthusiastically.

The boys moved to leave, Grave frozen to the ground with her anger. She watched as Remus turned around to face her, he must have felt the emotion. He frowned, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Coming along, Grace?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No...I've got something to do. I'll see you all at dinner."

She was going to find Snivellus.

She spotted him walking by himself down a corridor. "Snivellus!" She called out to him, smiling. "Snivellus, wait!"

His body seemed to freeze as he heard her and as she nearly reached him he spun around his wand raised to her chest. "What do you want, Potter?" he spat, his voice laden with demand and urgency. He glanced around the room frantically as if expecting an ambush, but never really took his eyes off of her.

Grace frowned as she eyed his wand, despite the effect that their close proximity was having on her. She tilted her head back slightly to gaze into his dark eyes. His soul was truly beautiful, its light shone through her in a wave of warm energy. He had so much potential, and Grace wanted to allow him to savor every last bit of it. Sadness and distrust was clouding his eyes, however. Grace knew he must have faced some great difficulties already in his life at such a young age. There was even great regret, something that she didn't normally find in people until they were much older. His smell was intoxicating her. It was a musky, chemical smell with a hint of fresh grass and dusty books. She loved it. She leaned in slightly, inhaling and allowed her eyes to slowly fall closed.

"Potter, I don't have time for this," Snivellus spat, turning to leave.

It took Grace a second to regain her composure before chasing after him. "N-no wait!" She gripped his arm, feeling the electricity shooting through her body. He had turned towards her, his arm still in her hand, and thrust his wand under her chin. Grace, however, remained unfazed as she was stunned by the contact of his body. Her heart rate was accelerating so quickly that she thought it might stop of exhaustion and fall into her stomach where her organs must surely be doing gymnastics. Her entire body trembled as her hand remained on his arm, frozen.

She attempted to reason with her feelings, unsure of what exactly they meant. It had been so obvious with Remus. She wondered if this boy was the one she was supposed to fall in love with.

Grace smiled, still only hazily aware of wand jabbing her in the neck, she looked back into his eyes. "Well," she whispered. "Fuck me."

Snivellus' eyes widened, looking slightly scandalized. "Excuse me?"

"Oh!" Grace interjected. "No, its a saying," she explained quickly. "I didn't mean it that way. O-of course, I don't mean that that would be bad with you! I'm sure your a fine love maker and-"

Grace released Snivellus, her eyes wide. Clasping a hand over her mouth her fingers raking over the scar. "Oh! My gods!"

With a disgruntled look and reddened cheeks, Snivellus lowered his wand. "Are we quite done here?"

"No, oh balls! My mouth, it- I sometimes can't control it- Damn! I mean- Listen, Snivellus-"

"Stop...calling me that," he demanded, his voice raising slightly.

"But that's your name isn't it?"

"No, of course it's not, you stupid girl!"

Grace frowned thinking back to James and Sirius. Her mind raced, recalling the manner in which they said said his name and remembering Peter's guffaws at her inquiry involving the obscureness of his name. It it her, and she blanched. She really was a stupid girl, wasn't she? Her brother had been picking on him when he called him Snivellus; it was meant to be derogatory. She gasped, holding her hands out in surrender. "I am so, so sorry. I didn't realize...balls!"

"Charming," he muttered, glaring at her.

Grace swallowed. "So what is your name then?"

"None of your business!" he snapped. "Now if you don't tell me what the hell it is that you want-"

"Please just tell me your name, I need something to address you by," she pleaded.

He frowned, watching her carefully. "Severus," he finally offered, still seeming extremely unhappy about the conversation that he was having. "Severus Snape."

"Severus," she said, breathily. "Well, Severus, the reason I've stopped you is to apologize. I had no idea that-"

"-Stop." Severus cut her off. "I don't want to listen to your apologies."

"-I tried to stop them but-"

"-I don't want your help, Potter-"

"-I want to be your friend!" She nearly yelled, shocking herself.

Severus looked slight taken aback, and then looked her up and down. Caution befell his onyx eyes as his lip curled slightly. He leaned in towards her, causing the breath to hitch in Grace's throat. After several long, antagonizing moments, he finally asked, in a low, silky voice, "Why?"

"I-I like you," she managed, her face heating up.

"You don't even know me-"

"-I want to..."

He frowned at her, unmoving from his close proximity to her. "This is some kind of prank! I know it is, and I am not falling for it," he seethed, teeth clenched.

He moved to leave her there when Grace lashed out to grab his arm. Failing, as he evaded his aggressor. "Wait-" she started, her voice weak.

"Do not touch me!" he growled, recoiling further away from her.

"It's not a joke, would you just listen to me-"

"-I have been listening to you and all I hear is a stupid girl who has no idea what she is talking about!"

Grace face became crestfallen and she looked away from him, touching the scar across her lips.

"What happened to your face, Potter?" He sneered, beginning to walk away from her again.

Trying to catch her breath, to stop herself from crying, Grace let him leave this time. She took deep breaths, steeling herself. She wondered what made him so full of distrust. Fingering her scar she saddened, there was a reason that he rejected her, that he didn't feel the electricity. That beauty that lays in his soul, so full of light and potential, was the reason he didn't feel the same.

Grace was a killer. Although the lives she'd taken were those that possessed evil souls, or that were themselves evil, she was a killer. Her soul was heavy because of it. The scars on her body reflected those on her soul and she knew that her darkness would only shroud his light. Her heart broke upon her realization.

She was a beast.

She did not deserve him.


	4. A Rat in the Kitchens

September 2nd

5:10 am

Albus was falling.

He always fell, floating toward the ground in torturous slow motion. His eyes were always devoid of light as he drifted lifelessly through the air. Every time, right before he hit the ground where his body would crumble against the unforgiving terrain in a pool of robes, he returned to the window whence he would fall, and it would start all over again.

Grace never knew why he was falling, or why he was dead for that matter, but it startled her out of her sleep again, as it had always done.

She frowned, blinking into the darkness. She was mildly considering pulling the covers over her head and allowing herself to go back to sleep. Her stomach was still heavy from overeating the night before. She had been particularly hungry by the time dinner had arrived after having refrained from eating since before she'd arrived at Hogwarts. Her full stomach made her feel lackadaisical and groggy, but she willed herself out of bed anyway. She had skipped her training on Saturday in her excitement to be close to her Servator. After dinner would have been out of the question, too, as she paid for her overeating in the form of extreme, bloated discomfort.

Being a Trucido, Grace had to maintain her physique. She needed to be agile and strong, she needed to be able to control her magical abilities.

Typically, she would train in the forests surrounding Noctars Institution. She had always savored a forests' attributes that ambushed her senses, giving her the resolve to push herself further and harder even when she believed that she was at her peak. Albus, however, was wary of letting Grace loose in the Forbidden Forest. His logic unreasonable in her opinion, she could certainly handle anything that would prove dangerous in there. Instead, despite her protests, he had shown her what he called the Room of Requirement. It proved adequate, but was nothing in comparison to the thrill of running through the forest.

Grace decided that she would start her day out right. She would hone her skills, shower, enjoy a cigarette that she was sure would steel herself to face the day, and make her way down to breakfast.

It was very important that she went to breakfast, according to Remus. This was when they would be given their timetables, he had told her. He was a prefect, he had to make sure the new student received her timetables, else the system would surely crumble.

Lily had felt the same way, ambushing Grace as Grace had entered her dormitory in desperate search for her bed to sooth her aching stomach.

Gods forbid she did not receive that schedule.

7:22 am

As promised, Grace sat down beside Remus at the Gryffindor table, offering the four boys a friendly smile as she greeted them.

"You're late," Remus said matter-of-factly, using a fork to poke a fried tomato on his plate with indifference.

"You're late," Sirius mirrored primly from across the table. He had an amused smile on his face as he propped his head up with his hand, leaning on the table.

James snorted, continuing to eat his eggs with fervor.

Grace brought her eyebrows together in confusion, looking between Sirius and her brother and then back to Remus, who continued to stare at his tomato. "What?" she asked, still unsure of what he was saying. Breakfast did not end until eight o'clock during the weekdays, she knew it was well before then.

Remus set his fork down on his plate. "You're late," he said again while turning to face her. "They've handed out the timetables already."

"Oh," Grace muttered, feeling a like a small child under his gaze.

Remus reached into his pocket and retrieved a folded piece of paper, offering it to her. He returned a soft smile when she flashed him a sheepish grin as she accepted her schedule.

"You're taking Remedial Potions with me," Peter said offhandedly from somewhere beyond Remus. Grace could not quite see the boy around her Servator.

"Remedial Potions?" she asked, unfolding the paper.

Albus had taken the liberty to sign her up for classes, as the institution she'd graduated from simply did not offer classes like Potions or Herbology. She knew she could trust his decisions in the matter. He was, after all, Headmaster of the school.

James laughed, causing Grace to peek up at him over her schedule. "Not so good at the 'art of brewing potions'?" he asked, exaggerating the last part airily.

"I wouldn't know," Grace muttered, stuffing the paper into her pocket. Her attention, however, was drawn away from James' inquiry as Severus swept into the Great Hall, a book clutched in his hands. She watched him carefully, his movements purposeful and stiff, much like a spider as it tread across a quivering web.

He was not particularly good-looking, Grace noted. His hair was too lanky, too greasy. His nose was a bit too long, crooked slightly at the end. His eyes were a bit too sallow, his skin a bit too pale, and his build a bit too thin. There was something, though, that Grace could see, past the emotions that were bubbling from within her, in those dark eyes.

Grace was in not in love with Severus Snape. She would be, she knew, in time. For what else could she feel for her true love? Their souls were meant for each other, despite the differences in them. So he would come to love her in return, right? Why else would she be able to sense her true love, if she was not supposed to fall in love with him? The protective, territorial feelings that had risen in her when she first met him proved that.

Right?

Grace frowned.

"Earth to Grace? You in there?"

As Sirius' voice registered in her mind she shook her head, refocusing her attention to his gray eyes. He was smirking at her, his head cocked to the side.

"Are you listening to us," he pressed.

"Oh, sorry." Grace grinned at him. "Got distracted."

She grabbed a piece of toast, glancing around at the boys. "What were you saying?"

1:10 pm

"You know..." Grace began, interrupting Remus from his reading. She found herself outside, once more seated beneath the large tree she had found the boys under the day before.

James, Sirius and Peter were chatting about the upcoming Quiddich tryouts. James was the Captain of the Gryffindor team and an exceptionally good Chaser, whatever that meant. Sirius was a Beater and Peter had not had enough 'skill' to join the team in the past but was going to try out again this year. Sirius had suggested that he not try for the Seeker position because Peter had no luck with the Snitch. Grace had long abandoned attempting to follow that conversation.

"If I were to come with you next Saturday," she offered, "I'll be able to make the transformation significantly less painful, at least."

Remus seemed to blanch a bit, despite already having started to pale with the upcoming moon. "Absolutely not." He stated sternly, regarding her with an astonishment that she would have expected if she had asked him to turn her. "That's way too dangerous."

Grace raised an eyebrow, shaking her head. "Remus, you can't hurt me...I-"

"No."

"But-"

"No, Grace," he said. "Promise me you wont try to come and see me then. You can absolutely not be there." He was staring at her intensely, critically, almost frantically.

She had not noticed the silence that overcame the other three boys as they had stopped their conversation and begun listening to Grace and Remus' until James patted her on the shoulder.

"Listen to Remus, Grace," he sighed. "If he doesn't want you there, then you should respect that."

Grace scowled. "If that's what you want," she muttered, sinking back against the tree.

Remus glanced at James, who shrugged. Slowly, the boys picked up their conversation again and Remus returned to his book. After a moment, either out of boredom or curiosity, Grace peeked over Remus' shoulder at the text he held in his lap. The passage had a picture of a spiky green vine with the name Venomous Tentacula written beneath it. The passage mentioned the potential dangers of the Tentacula's venom and its possible fatality.

He was reading a school book, Grace mused. The idea of reading one of her books prior to classes starting never crossed her mind. The closeness to him allowed her to pick up on something, however. She was unsure exactly what it was, but something was wrong.

Hoping that physical contact would cause a stronger connection, she leaned her head into his arm, inhaling deeply and closing her eyes, disregarding Remus' reaction as he stiffened. She was right, he was feeling a bit ill, most likely due to the impending full moon. There was discomfort in his stomach, he must have been feeling a bit nauseated.

Grace frowned. He would continue to suffer from the side-effects of his lycanthropy if he refused her help, and they would only worsen as the moon grew nearer. Grace reached across his body so that she could lay her hand on Remus' ailing stomach. Hoping to make him feel better, she began to move her hand in slow, comforting circles.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing now?" Remus demanded, gently grabbing hold of Grace's hand and pushing it back towards her.

"Uhm," Grace uttered, leaning back from him. She glanced up at him, a bit taken aback with the expression that he wore. "Rubbing your belly?"

"Why?" he asked incredulously.

"...You aren't feeling well..."

He sighed in frustration, standing up. "You can't do that," he informed her rigidly.

"...Why not?"

With another frustrated noise Remus turned from her and headed in the general direction of the castle. She watched him for a moment, wondering what she had done that would cause him to flee. Perhaps she shouldn't have rubbed his stomach, although she did not understand what had caused such controversy.

From the silence came a quiet snigger of laughter, presumably from Sirius. It must have been infectious because soon the other two joined in. They seemed to taper off a bit when Grace turned to look at them curiously.

"You have got to learn boundaries," Sirius said, still chuckling.

James sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Hey, so, me 'n Padfoot are gunna go find Moony," he said, offering her a half-hearted smile. "Uh, Wormy why don't you keep Grace company for...a bit."

Grace frowned as they departed, leaving her and Peter beneath the tree to sulk. James might as well have said, 'Hey, Peter, can you keep my stupid sister out of our hair for a while?'

After a few moments, Grace banged her head backwards against the trunk of the tree. "Balls."

Peter shot her a look.

"Peter...?" She asked, giving him the most pathetic look she could muster. "What the fuck is wrong with me?"

He looked around him for a moment, as if there was another Peter standing near him that Grace was talking to. Finding no such person, he offered her a shrug. "Well...you do come off a bit strong."

"What do you mean?"

"Well...I-I mean that you've only known Remus for a little while and you're kind of, well..." Peter stopped, appearing to be choosing his words carefully. "Overbearing?"

Grace glowered at him. "How so?"

Peter's cheeks turned pink and he sighed. "Well, it's okay if you have a crush on Remus, but he doesn't even know you yet and you are all over him all of the time. And he doesn't like that you know about...you-know-what."

"I do not have a crush on Remus!" Grace asserted forcefully. She leaned in closer to Peter, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. "He thinks I have a crush on him?"

"Don't you?"

"No!"

"...You sure?"

"Peter!"

"Well," he sighed. "He thinks you're a bit...stalker...ish."

"What? I've been here all of two days, I don't think that anything I've done to him in that time can be taken to be 'stalkerish'!"

"Maybe you need to back off a bit, anyways?" he offered.

Grace groaned, falling to the ground in defeat. "How do you do it, Peter?" she asked, her voice muffled by her hands that were now covering her face.

"Do what?"

"Be friends with him. It seems so complicated."

"It's not complicated. But generally we don't rub each others stomachs, so maybe you should start there...ow!"

She kicked him.

He stared at her, offended, for a moment, before sighing at the pouting girl. "You know what you need?"

Grace answered in silence.

"A peanut butter butty. They always make me feel better."

She propped herself up on her elbows to look at him, frowning. "I don't need a fucking sandwich, Peter."

He gave her a little smile, his large teeth protruding from his lips. "Come on, to the kitchens!"

Grace grumbled incoherently but allowed herself to be dragged away by the boy.

"D'yu wan tawk but ti?" Peter mumbled through his sandwich.

Grace, fluent in the language of talking-with-your-mouth-full due to her years spent with Anne, shook her head at him. "Nope."

She took a bite of her sandwich. It was not working. She wanted to throw it at Peter.

He swallowed, frowning at her. "If it's any consolation, he doesn't hate you."

"It's not."

"You've got an issue with your attitude," he snapped, turning his attention back to the peanut butter.

Grace sighed. She was supposed to be being nice to the boy. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm just not very good with people. It would make it easier with Remus, though, if he didn't have so many rules!"

"What rules?"

"You know, like not modifying people's memories, or rubbing his stomach..."

"Those aren't rules, Grace. They're just things that normal people...don't do."

Grace frowned. Maybe he was right. Perhaps she was not a normal person, or at least did not act like one. "Peter!" she gasped, an idea striking her. "Show me how to be a normal person!"

Peter blinked. "I'm an illegal animagus who turns into a rat and runs around with a werewolf once a month..."

"But you're his friend," she pressed, eyes gleaming.

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, Peter pressed his lips together. "I don't think that normalcy is something that you can actually teach somebody..."

Her face dropped and she glared at him. "Fine."

3:43 pm

The simple scratching sound that was borne from a quill meeting a piece of parchment was one of Grace's new favorite things. It was the tranquil noise, the exquisite feel of rough paper beneath her finger tips and the dark curved lines as the quill delicately marked, that calmed her breath. It was the silky tickle of the feathered quill as she brought it to her lips in thought, the melodic rustle of parchment as it was folded. It was the hot liquidated wax that dripped from the looming candle down to the envelope flap with a nearly inaudible thud, sealing with ease, that stilled her racing mind.

Grace sighed, content, and gently tucked her letter to Anne in the roomy pockets of her track suit bottoms. If there was anybody that she could confide in, anybody that Grace could divulge her torturous, long, spectacularly defeating couple of days at Hogwarts to, it was her best friend. Anne would always be the one person that could turn her misery into opportunity.

She was about to make her way to the Owlery when the door to the dormitory opened. The girl who entered Grace did not recognize. Her dark hair was short and tactfully messy, pieces falling over her eyes. A genuine smile graced her face almost immediately when she noticed Grace. Her small frame did not hide the vivacious redhead who entered the room behind her, her face a vibrant shade of crimson that put her hair to shame.

"Grace," Lily said lightly, taking a deep breath to soothe herself. "How are you?"

In return, Grace smiled, only slightly wishing that she had modified the girl's memory before she had made her promise to Remus.

"This is Alice," Lily offered, placing a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

Alice gave Grace a small wave. "Hey!" she greeted, moving across the room to flop on what was presumably her bed. "So, have you been enjoying Hogwarts so far?"

With a defeated sigh, Grace frowned.

"Of course you haven't," Lily answered, tutting. "You've been hanging out with that pig-headed brother of yours! I'm not surprised you haven't requested a transfer out of this school." Lily huffed, her arms folded across her chest, and sat on the edge of her own bed. "And that idiotic side-kick of his who thinks he's Merlin's gift to women!"

"Tell me," Alice managed to say between the giggles brought on by Lily's outburst. "Has Black tried his charm on you yet-"

"-why would he do that?" Lily huffed, interrupting the other girl. "He wouldn't want to do anything to upset his precious Jamsie!"

"We've just had the delight of running into them," Alice offered helpfully. "James is starting his wooing early this year. He thinks he's in love with Lily."

"That arse wouldn't know love if it came in the form of a Quaffle and hit his extraordinarily large head!" Lily exclaimed. "He's already started tormenting Severus this year, you know?" she asked, her question directed at Alice.

"I thought you two weren't speaking?" Alice inquired, nonchalantly. "Besides, the git deserves it."

"We're not," Lily snapped. "But that's not the point."

Alice laughed. "What d'ya reckon they've done to upset poor Remus? He looked a bit huffy earlier."

"Poor Remus?" Lily interjected. "He is a big boy who is perfectly capable of choosing his friends. Just because he chose to be friends with the two biggest dunderheads to ever walk the halls of this school doesn't mean he deserves anyone's sympathy for being miserable with them!"

Grace blinked, her eyes moving between the two as they continued their conversation. She felt a bit uncomfortable, and her stomach dropped. Lily knew Severus, she'd seen them together in her visions. It seemed, however, that there had been some kind of altercation between the two. Grace decided it best not to press her for information just yet.

She would try her best not to be 'overbearing' to these girls. Then, perhaps, she would have an actual friend at this school.

The prickling warmth on her wrist knocked Grace out of her thoughts. She frowned, it was her charm. The Congressional Alliances of Cruor Terra were holding a meeting, finally. Grace extended to the girls her quick excuse and found her bag in her chest, swinging it over her shoulder before departing. Her letter to Anne and making friends would have to wait.

Grace had two charms on her bracelet. One, a gift from Anne, was a silver moon. This was her communicative device between her world and the realm of Cruor Terra. Through several long assiduous years, Grace had adequately developed a skill for Alchemy with the assistance of her handbook. She had been able to create a link through the portal between the two worlds, conveniently created by Grace's attempt to reach the realm that would need her the most. The handbook went into some detail about different known portals, several of which her predecessors had become well known in.

Cruor Terra had been engaged in a series of wars first documented in 1732, subsequently deemed the Vampire Wars after the creatures they fought. Vampires were barbarous creatures whose blackened souls were cursed to remain within their bodies; keeping them living, unable to leave the world in death while every being they had ever cared about would grow old and wither away. It was first instituted as a punishment for those who had committed the most heinous of crimes; they would be securely sealed away in heavily guarded imprisonments to live out their tormented existence in darkness.

As their numbers increased, however, they would prove to be of greater danger than anyone could have imagined. The escapes happened slowly at first, a few vampires disappearing from their damp cells in the middle of the night, but increased with astounding vigor. Imprisonments were destroyed for weeks until, at last, they all were free. They had sought justice on the people who had cursed them, a mission that had swiftly become one of vengeance. Those who were not like them, those who were blissfully mortal, would either succumb to the fate of becoming a vampire or would die a painful death.

Shortly after the escapes, the attacks began. The escapees would come in the night while villages slept, defenseless. Always, they would capture their victims silently, taking as many as they could in a single foul swoop. The singular method in which they killed soon became a trademark for them, earning them the name of vampire. They would impale their victims upon pikes in the dooryard to their dwellings. They would use their victims' blood as warpaint to boast their triumph.

With an eternity to live, their souls would become ever darker until they eventually became demonic. With such a soul, the vampires' physical appearances would change. The darker the soul, the more demonic and beast-like they would become. Their skin would gray and ashen, their features leaving behind only traces of the human that they once were. In theory, you could tell how old a vampire was by how monstrous they appeared.

That was, until they began using blood magic. By killing innocent people—those of pure hearts and souls—and bathing ceremoniously in their blood, ingesting it before the victims died, the vampires could retain the resemblance of the humans that they once were. Blood magic is a very strong ancient magic with the downfall of expiring after a certain length of time, varying slightly with the skill of its wielders.

The only way known to stop a vampire is to destroy the brain, as that would render the rest of their body useless.

Grace preferred decapitation, which would sever the brain from the body. In that state, the brain would slowly die on its own.

The Congressional Alliances of Cruor Terra formed in the early 1900s as an attempt to stop the monsters from destroying the entire world. By that time, the Cruors were outnumbered by the vampires, but did manage to hinder their expansion, holding them back, until one of Grace's ancestors, Elizabeth, had found her way into the realm. With Elizabeth's help, the Cruors were able to eliminate much of their enemy force.

Grace had not arrived in Cruor Terra until she was thirteen years old. Reluctantly, they had accepted her help, although they did not assign her tasks or missions that were deemed dangerous at the time, due to her young age. Over the past three years, however, Grace had honed her skills, proving herself to be a quite valuable asset to the Cruors.

The other charm, a gift from Albus, permitted her to be transported, much like a portkey, anywhere within and outside of Hogwarts' grounds, since her portal could not activate within the grounds. Albus' gift had proven itself quite useful and Grace was certain it would remain so in the future.

According to her handbook, there were many known realms but creating portals was a painstaking and seemingly interminable process that could take as long as a year to become fully functional. The key to creating the portals was using something meaningful, something given in love or friendship. The silver moon, once a mere trinket given to her by Anne as a symbol of their friendship had proved to be a more than sufficient to create the linking device that she needed.

The wizarding world had obtained a portal of their own many years ago. They called it the Veil, and it was hidden within the Ministry of Magic, carefully studied by Unspeakables. The Veil served its purpose as a portal connecting the land of the dead, Regnum Silenti Etc, to the wizarding world. However, despite the Unspeakables' observations, they did not know how to properly use the Veil, deeming it a one-way trip to Regnum Silenti Etc with no escape.

"Thalavat's allavin sallavane...nallavot talavou mallavin shalavin illavin pallavoh salavelle!" Grace seethed, watching the Cruors' representatives closely from across the large table.

They had found that Morticaine, containing a highly dangerous neurotoxic agent, had been extremely effective in killing vampires. Morticaine was especially dangerous because it was nearly undetectable; colorless, odorless, while also maintaining potency when diluted in liquid, causing death within moments of consumption. Elizabeth had brought this poison with her from Grace's world; it was a magical concoction created from the pable shrub. They wanted to destroy as many vampires as they could with it at one time, to cause a vital blow to their remaining factions, weakening them.

The idea was plausible enough, in Grace's opinion. But they wanted her to collect the ingredients from her world and brew the poison herself, something Grace had no idea if she could do. She had discovered poison and antidote theories and instructions in her handbook, but never had a purpose to actually attempt to brew them. If Albus had placed her in Remedial Potions, then surely, at least he thought her skill at potions would be less than sufficient.

Once she had managed to concoct the poison, if that were even possible, she was asked to begin to build up an immunity to it. Then, she was to allow the vampires to 'capture' her—and take her to their leaders, for she was a Trucido, and a Trucido's blood held special properties that would allow their blood magic's strength to increase. They could change their appearance for a much longer period of time.

It was not that Grace's concerns lay in the piking process, her body would surely handle the impalement, although she was a bit skeptical of trying. She was worried because the wizarding world had deemed that there was no possible way to build a resistance to Morticaine. Merlin himself had met his fate attempting to do just that.

Agmund, a particularly large Cruor, leaned forward giving Grace what she had assumed to be a soothing look. "Grace, yallavou allavar ollavore alavoh nallavi halavope. Elizabeth wollavonce tallavold allavus thalavat thallava kallavie talavou dellavick allaving allavan illvan mallavous tallavis talavou alavan allavis tallavix allavin callavould ballave fallavah allavound allavin thallava Terra ollivov Vicis..."

"Terra ollivov Vicis?" Grace exclaimed. "Allivand hollivow dallavou yallavou ellavid allavin prolalo prollavose Iliva gallavet tallavou thalavat rallaelm? Callavant walavie jallavust, Iliva dalluvanalavoh, slallavip illavite ilavintallavo thallava wallavat tallaver ollovour alluvium tallying? Olivier falling slavish thalamus thallava ollivold fallavish shallavined wallalay, yalavoh kallavo...thwack!" Grace twirled her machete in her hands for emphasis.

"Grace, Iliva ilamind plallvore allavah yalavor tallavou alavat lallavie alavast traliva allivai," said another man, Erik the Viscount. "Illavit wollovuld mallean mulivuch lalivess dalleva allaleth fallavour ollovour pallave pallavo."

Grumbling, Grace crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to look out of the large window. A winged serpent drifted by, it's vibrant yellow scales contrasting the dark sky. The sky was always dark in Cruor Terra.

After a moment of thought she sighed and turned her attention back to the men before her. "Falavine," she said with a deflated exhalation. "Ilavif Iliva mallavan allavige tallavou crallavie allavate allava lalavi ilavink tallavou Vicis allavand ilavif Iliva mallavan allavige talavou bralavou thallava Morticaine, Iliva walevill gallavet balavack talavou yallavou."(6)

It was at that moment that Grace wished she had her Servator more than ever.

8:07 p.m.

Albus peered at Grace over his glasses as she closed the door to his office. He set down his quill and folded his hands in front of him, taking in her disheveled appearance.

"Is everything alright, Grace?"

"I've had a stupid day," she mumbled, flopping into a chair.

AN: Translations

"That's insane...not to mention impossible!"

"Grace, you are our only hope. Elizabeth once told us that the key to developing an immunity to any toxin could be found in the Terra of Vicis..."

"And how do you even propose I get to that realm? Can't we just, I dunno, slip it into the water or something? Or finish this the old fashioned way, you know...thwack!"

"Grace, I implore you to at least try,"

"It would mean much less death for our people."

"Fine," she said with a deflated exhalation. "If I manage to create a link to Vicis and if I manage to brew the Morticaine, I'll get back to you."


	5. I Solemnly Swear

September 3rd

6:40 am

Grace had retired early the previous night following her chat with Albus, hoping that the new day would be better than the last few. Her muscles ached from pushing herself harder than usual in her training that morning, attempting to ease her frustration. She was determined to make this day decent, hoping the beginning of the term would provide an ample supply of distractions. She also hoped that Anne would return her message soon, after remembering the unsent letter in her pocket and giving the owl specific instructions to stay with the werewolf until she replied.

She had a plan. She was going to befriend the two roommates that engaged her yesterday, without being suffocating. She was going to 'back off' her Servator, hoping that Peter's suggestion would be useful. She was going to attempt to make Severus at least tolerate the sight of her. She was going to sit quietly in her classes and make an effort to learn what the school had to offer.

"Right," Grace breathed, entering the Great Hall, feeling a bit uneasy about her school outfit, especially the skirt. Grace did not care for skirts.

To her relief, Remus and the others were not there yet, but there, chatting between each other, were Lily and Alice. She approached slowly, observing the blonde who sat beside Lily, immediately joining in the quiet exchange. This did not cause her gait to falter, however, as she convinced herself that it could only be a good thing. She was just another friend to make.

She bumped the table. She had been lost in her thoughts and she bumped into the Gryffindor table. The sudden disruption caused the three girls, along with several other students, to turn and look at Grace.

The only words she could think of slipped from her mouth before she could stop them, "Balls."

Her slip had caused the blonde to smile, her cheeks rounding like perfect apples.

"Morning Grace!" Alice greeted her cheerfully.

Lily waved at her. "You were in bed awfully early yesterday."

Grace lowered herself to sit next to Alice, hoping that the engagement in conversation also doubled as an invitation join them for breakfast.

"You were up early too, gone before any of us even woke up," Alice concluded, taking a bite from an apple.

Grace smiled, helping herself to some bacon. "I had a bit of a long day, yesterday..."

"Where did you say you ran off to again?" Lily inquired.

"I had a letter to send..."

"Oh, Merlin, I forgot my manners," Lily said suddenly, saving Grace from her excuses. "This is Marlene, she lives in our dorm with us. You would've met her yesterday if you weren't sound asleep before nine-thirty."

Marlene grinned at her. "Pleasure." When Grace nodded in response, it seemed to urge the blonde to carry on. "You know, James never mentioned having a sister, what school did you go to?"

"He never has, has he?" Alice chimed in.

Lily was even giving her an inquisitive look at the question.

Grace coughed. It should not have surprised her that people would be curious about her. "Noctars Institution."

Making a face, Marlene shrugged. "Never heard of it, is it close to here?"

"Uhm, nope, it's in the US."

"Explains your accent," Alice said, smirking at Grace.

Grace smiled, "Yeah, I guess it does."

"So, why has James never mentioned you, are you guys mortal enemies or summat?" Marlene pressed, chewing.

Laughing, Grace said, "No, no. We've just never really met each other before, so... Fuck! Look, this isn't something I really want to talk about." Grace blushed and turned her attention to some eggs, jabbing them with her fork, causing the bright yellow yolk to seep out onto the white surface.

Marlene shrugged, busying herself with her own breakfast.

"You'll have to excuse Mar," Alice said brightly. "Very inquisitive, that one," she added playfully.

Lily laughed, "Don't worry, though. She's too far shoved up Black's arse to really care—"

"-am not!" Marlene protested, hitting the redhead in the arm.

Alice leaned towards Grace, whispering, "She's Sirius Black's girlfriend."

"I am not!" the blonde asserted again. "We just...hang out."

Snorting, Alice rolled her eyes. "Hanging out is not what I can hear all the way down in the Common Room! I mean seriously, do you two even know any silencing charms-?" Alice's words were halted as she had begun to block a barrage of black pudding, a piece of which went wayward and caught in Grace's hair.

"Well, my appetite's ruined," Lily stated, letting her fork fall to her plate after the brief onslaught and Grace began to fish the food from her hair. "I can't believe that you can tolerate that foul git... Something is definitely wrong with the lot of 'em. I mean they call themselves 'the Marauders' for Merlin's sake! Pretentious arses."

Alice snorted.

"They're not that bad," Marlene protested.

Lily gave her a wary look, but decided to let that particular conversation end. "What class do you have first block, Grace?"

"Ancient Runes."

Lily smiled, "Great, Alice and I have that too, sit with us?"

Grace smiled.

"Mar didn't take the class," Alice informed her, continuing to eat. "Couldn't stand to be away from her lover, you know."

Marlene's blush began in her cheeks but quickly spread across her face. "Shut up, Alice."

Alice laughed and looked at Grace, looking her up and down. "Your skirt's on backwards, pumpkin."

Grace glanced down, studying her skirt inquisitively. She had not realized that there was a back to the piece of fabric.

"Shirt's all wrinkly," Marlene added.

"And your tie's a bit...not tied," Alice concluded.

Grace grimaced. "Shit..."

Lily smiled at her as Grace blushed, wanting to hide underneath the table. With a small laugh, the redhead said, "Well, we've got some time before class starts. Why don't we go back to the dorm and fix you up?"

With a sheepish smile, Grace agreed, preparing to take her leave with the girls. Just as she was about to cross the threshold, Severus passed her. His eyes locked onto the redhead behind her, halting his stride.

"Lily...," he began, but the redhead brushed past Grace, who had not realized she stopped moving. Noticing her stare, his saddened eyes shifted to Grace who smiled at him. He sneered before turning away.

8:20 am

Grace listened to Lily and Alice happily chatting. She appreciated Albus for signing her up for this subject. Not only was Ancient Runes something that she had excelled in during her independent studies, it also gave her an opportunity to spend time with Lily and Alice. She was enjoying just listening to them, figuring she would learn more that way than running her mouth. Talking was lately the source of her problems.

An attack on her senses pulled Grace from her comfortable haze.

She could smell Remus before he entered the room, but resisted the urge to turn and look at him. After having finally found her Servator, Grace would have to practice extreme self control to keep herself away from him. Instead, she busied her attention on the boy who had joined them.

"Hello lovely," he said, sitting next to Alice before learning in and giving her a chaste kiss.

"Grace, this is Frank Longbottom," Lily informed her.

"Oh hello," Frank said, as if noticing Grace for the first time. "You know...I don't think Potter's ever mentioned having a sister..."

Grace's smile dropped, briefly wondering if everybody that she would meet would ask about her and James' relationship. She fought to create an excuse when she felt an arm wrapping itself around her shoulders.

"What haven't I done, Longbottom?" James asked lightly, his arm still around Grace.

As Grace turned to look at her brother, she could not help but notice Remus seating himself next to James, frowning.

"Potter," Lily snapped. "Go away."

"Aw, good morning to you too, Lilypad!" he grinned at her. "Besides, I just wanted to sit with my baby sister! Is that a crime?" James pulled Grace closer to him for good measure.

Grace momentarily wondered whether James was actually born first or if he was just being presumptuous.

Lily exhaled, frustration lining her face. "Whatever. Just try not to speak."

Finally letting go of Grace, James turned to Remus grinning.

Remus rolled his eyes and looked towards the front of the classroom as the teacher began to speak. Grace attempted to do the same, painfully aware of the strong presence that was radiating from beyond James. This was going to prove to be more difficult than Grace anticipated.

11:15 am

Defense Against the Dark Arts had taken an interesting and slightly frightening turn. James had explained to her that this particular teaching position was jinxed, so each year there was a new professor. Thus, Professor Short had decided to take the time in the first class of the term to review dueling strategies. Grace had watched as several different students were called to the front of the room, a pair at a time, to demonstrate, taking note of the polite customs that went along with dueling. It was when the Professor had called Grace's name following Serverus' that she had begun to panic.

So there she stood, in the front of the classroom staring at Severus as Professor Short prattled on about the importance of blocking and countering spells. Severus returned her gaze in boredom, a small smirk playing across his lips.

"Now," Short said cheerfully, clasping her hands together. "Wands at the ready!"

Grace paled, glancing over to where Remus was sitting with his friends and noting the amused looks on Sirius, James, and Peter's faces. He had been watching her, she could feel his gaze. As they locked eyes, Grace frowned at the unreadable expression on his face.

"Miss Potter, your wand?"

Grace shifted her eyes back to her professor and offered a small smile. "I don't have a wand," she said quietly.

Short brushed her bushy hair from her forehead, giving Grace a stern look. "Of course you've got a wand, all students—"

"-No, really. I don't use one."

"Ten points from Gryffindor for your cheek," Short said in a very clipped tone. "Miss Potter, take out your wand."

Grace sighed glancing at Severus. He stood with his arms folded, amusement playing across his features. Grace was not used to dueling when it meant not killing her enemy. Worry became her. She would have to manifest great self-control so as not not hurt him.

"Really, Professor," came James' voice. "She doesn't use a wand."

Short puffed up a bit, but appeared to consider the allegations. "Very, well...begin."

Grace inhaled as Severus stood before her, giving her a smirk. She bowed as he began to bend his waist and neck slightly, before standing as he straightened, timing her actions around his body movements. She turned, counting the paces away from him. As she returned to face him, he was already waiting for her, his arm that held his wand curved gracefully over his head while the other one stretched out in front of him, his long fingers pointed at Grace.

She stumbled slightly as one foot caught on the other in her distraction.

Widening her stance, Grace ground her feet against the hard surface below her to balance herself. She flexed her fingers, arms at her sides. Severus raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly. Grace took a deep breath and nodded in return.

If she could manage to get through this by blocking his attacks, then Grace would be satisfied.

"Stupefy!" Severus said, with a quick elegant movement, flourishing his wand.

Grace brushed the spell away from her with ease.

"Impedimenta!"

Again, it was easily blocked.

"Petrificus Totalus! Confundo!"

Grace frowned, Severus was becoming frustrated. He was obviously skilled at dueling, or well enough so that the second spell caught Grace off guard, nearly hitting her.

"Immobulos! Alarte Ascendare! Depulso!"

The fourth spell came silently but Grace was already in motion, blocking it wasn't a problem.

Severus was firing wordless spells at her in rapid succession, agitation etched across his face. Grace frowned in worry, she needed to disarm him, but his angry onslaught was keeping her quite preoccupied.

"Protego Totalum," she whispered, holding her hands out before her.

The spell that had been hurtling towards her met the shield with furious vigor and rebounded. Grace's eyes widened in horror as Severus was hit with his own spell, knocking him backwards with great force. All Grace could see was the fire, the scent of burning flesh assaulting her senses. "Fucking hell!"

"Aqua Eructo," she whispered, once at Severus' side. The spell had soaked him, effectively putting out the flames. Grace was thankful that the spell had rendered him unconscious.

Over the peals of laughter coming from various students in the classroom, Grace could hear Professor short's raving about the "inappropriateness of using a blasting curse on other students" and so on. She glanced away from Severus, panic still overwhelming her, as Remus knelt down beside her with a grimace.

"He needs to go to the infirmary," Remus said flatly to the teacher.

Short waved her hand at him. "Yes, yes. Go on."

"You haven't said a word to me all morning," Remus said, idly looking about the corridor.

Grace frowned, focusing her gaze on Severus levitating body as she gently directed him. She hummed softly. "You were angry with me yesterday."

He smiled apolitically, rubbing the back of his head. "Acted like a right git, yeah?"

Shaking her head, Grace remained silent.

"I'm sorry," he offered, after a slight pause.

Grace smiled with a hint of contempt. "Don't...I shouldn't have told you about all of...well, you know. I'm sorry for being 'overbearing' and...'stalkerish' and just so goddamn stupid," she said with disdain.

Remus's face dropped and he remained silent for a few minutes.

"You're mad at me?" he asked finally.

"No."

"Listen, Grace. I just don't know anything about you and you've been a bit...hands-y..."

Grace nodded, scowling to herself.

"I just..." He trailed off, putting his hands in his pockets. "Do you actually believe that book?"

Faltering in her stride, Grace glanced at Remus. "My ancestors wrote that to help guide future generations of Trucidamus. What is there not to believe?"

"Well, I-I mean... Look, the only passage you've showed me is supposed to be about me, but maybe the things they wrote might not be applicable to you...but was to them. I mean, everybody is different, right?"

Pressing her lips together, Grace considered his thoughts. After a moment, she decided to leave them hanging ominously in the air as Severus moaned and began to stir. "He's waking up," she said in concern.

She lowered him from the air, struggling to keep him upright. Remus reached under Severus' arms in assistance, relieving Grace of some of his weight.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked.

"We have to get him to the Hospital Wing before he wakes up," Grace said, pulling her charm bracelet off her wrist so that she could activate it one-handed. "He's going to be in a bit of pain."

She pressed the wand charm beneath her thumb, and wrapped her arms around Remus and Severus. "Sorry for being hands-y...hold on tight."

Grace closed her eyes and focused on the infirmary, feeling the familiar pull of the transportation. The feeling of being weightless easing her mind, allowing the strain to be lifted from her body. As her feet once again met the ground she opened her eyes, tightening her grip around Severus as Remus stumbled slightly.

"What—" Remus began, but was cut off by Madam Pomfrey bustling into the room.

"What happened here?" the young nurse exclaimed, relieving Remus and Grace of the unconscious boy.

"Wayward blasting curse in class," Remus offered.

Frowning the nurse dipped her hand into a jar of thick, orange paste. "Not to worry, I can heal the burns in no time. You two may go back to your classes, now."

"Uhm, Grace?"

Grace looked up at Remus, realizing that she still had her arm wrapped around the boy's back. "Right, sorry."

They left the Hospital Wing, heading back in the direction of the Defense classroom.

"What was that?" Remus asked her.

The only response she gave him was a sly smile.

12:03 pm

By the time Remus and Grace had reached the classroom students had already begun pouring out of the narrow door. James' head appeared from the crowd soon followed by Sirius and Peter's as they prattled to each other, looking quite amused. Sirius was the first one to notice them.

"Oi!" he said, maneuvering around the bustling students. "Took you two long enough."

James smirked. "That was brilliant," he laughed. "Snivelly never saw it coming!"

"Knocked him right on his arse," Sirius agreed.

Grace glowered, watching James give Remus his books. "There ya go, mate."

"Grace," Peter said, causing her to turn her head. "Here."

She quickly snatched her books from Peter's hands, her handbook glaring at her from the top of the pile. Well, it was not actually glaring, as books cannot, but Grace felt a bit uneasy about leaving her handbook lying around. She would have to be more careful. "Thank you, that's very kind."

He gave her a small smile, his watery eyes lighting up.

A sudden thought crossed Grace's mind. Would somebody bother to bring Severus his books? She would check, just to make sure.

"Let's have lunch then, I'm starving," Sirius complained, holding his hand over his stomach.

"You're always starving, Padfoot," James said with a grin.

"I'll catch up with you guys, I've gotta check something." Grace smiled at them and headed into the abandoned classroom.

She spotted Severus deserted books almost immediately. She gathered them in her arms, carefully placing them atop of her own. It amused her slightly that Remus' scent still lingered in the classroom, remaining strong despite the other students. At least they were speaking, that was a good start.

As she turned to leave, her body collided with another and she stumbled backward, dropping the books.

"Balls!" she whispered, bending down to collect the mess.

Remus stooped down beside her to help. "Sorry," he said meekly, flashing her a smile.

"What are you still doing here? Lunch is about to start."

"Must be the beast inside...yearning for you," he joked, chuckling.

Grace snorted and slapped his arm playfully. "Don't tease me, Remus." She stood once she had regather all her lost parcels. "I'm going to drop these off to Severus, I'll see you at lunch?"

"Let me walk you."

"I don't need an escort, you know?"

"Well then...let me walk with you?"

6:09 pm

"Grace," Lily's voice floated into her mind. "Grace, wake up."

The gentle shaking in combination with her soft voice roused Grace from her slumber. She had dragged herself up to her dorm following Remedial Potions, groggy from her first day of classes and still full from lunch. She groaned as she opened her eyes, not wanting to be pulled from the warm lull of unconsciousness.

"Grace," Lily urged.

"Hmph?"

'Aren't you come down to dinner? Marlene, Alice, and I are headed down now."

Grace yawned. "In a bit... Imma take a shower first, I think." She allowed her eyes to flutter closed, and listened to Lily sigh.

After a brief shuffle, Grace willed herself to get out of bed. She knew that if she was seduced by her sleepy draw to abeyance now, she would surely be up at an odd hour. That would make the next day of classes tedious.

6:21 pm

Grace dashed down the girl's staircase frantically. Before she had gone to lunch, she had made a quick excursion to her room to toss her books in the security of her trunk. She simply could not risk leaving her handbook about again. Due to her carelessness, primarily due to her hurry to rejoin Remus' company, she did not realize that her handbook was not in the pile of books that she had deposited. Therefore, when going to retrieve it she was sent into a panic upon not finding it. While tearing apart her bed in hopes that perhaps that she had stashed it somewhere else, she recalled the incident with Remus in the DADA classroom.

She must have shuffled her handbook in with Severus' texts.

So much for not being neglectful.

She brushed passed the Marauders on her way through the portrait hole.

"Hungry Grace?" Sirius called playfully after her.

"Hospital Wing," she returned, not bothering to stop in her haste.

She had made it down the first set of staircases when Remus caught up to her. She had been slowed as the second level of stairs had begun to change. He touched her shoulder in concern as she bounced on her toes in anticipation.

"What happened? Are you alright?" he asked.

"Ugh, I think...I just think that I might have accidentally mixed my handbook into Severus'...I have to get it back. Ideally before he reads it."

Remus frowned, his brows furrowing. "If you're in such a hurry, why don't you use that trick you did earlier?"

Grace blanched as the staircase swung around to a landing, bringing her hand up to her forehead. "I'm such a fucking idiot!"

As she touched her wand charm, Remus hand wrapped gripped her arm. "Wait—"

It was too late. They were pulled to the infirmary, Remus landing hard on the floor with a grunt.

Grace stared at the empty hospital bed that had earlier retained Severus' body. "Fuck!"

Remus gathered himself from the floor, rubbing his arm. "I was going to tell you that I might be able to help..." Grace watched him pull a piece of parchment from his pocket. He pressed the tip of his wand to it mutter, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Grace raised her eyebrows and attempted to peek at the paper, leaning around Remus' body.

He pulled it away from her before she had the chance to catch a glimpse. "Nu-uh. You have your secrets, I have mine." He grinned at her. "Do you know where the library is?"


	6. Hostage

6:27 pm

Remus' hold on Grace in an attempt to maintain his balance by using her as an anchor resulted in them both crashing to the floor.

"Alright?" Grace asked, as she untangled herself from the boy. She was silently grateful that he had unintentionally broken her fall.

"I'm never going to get used to that," Remus groaned, blushing as Grace lifted herself away from his body.

Grace grinned lightly patting him on the shoulder. "Yeah...several broken arms later and I thought I had it down... Well, until you decided that you were going to pull me over."

Remus offered her a hand as he got back to his feet, which she took happily. "Sorry about that," he said. He reached to brush her disheveled hair from her face, his thumb gently running across her cheek as he did. His fingers lingered after he tucked the strands behind her ear, his eyes locked onto hers.

Grace's breath caught in her throat. She reddened and cursed the tickling sensation in her stomach. Remus smelled wonderful, being so close to his person was becoming uncomfortable. She felt her face heat up and her heart begin to race. Unconsciously licking her lips, Grace wondered why exactly she was so suddenly nervous. Her emotions danced through her body in sharp jabs. She was confused. She blamed the excitement of being around her Servator. She blamed hormones, and being close to a male who was not Albus. She blamed the incomprehensible gaze he was giving her as he hovered so close. Most of all, she blamed their connection as Trucido and Servator, believing the wolf's emotions were being conveyed onto her vicariously.

"Remus?" she said softly.

"Yeah?" he breathed.

"I have to go get my book now..."

Her words knocked him out of his daze and he blinked at her, dropping his hand. He inhaled, taking a couple steps back from her. "Yeah, that's right." He cleared his throat. "So, uhm, Regulus Black is in there with him—"

"Regulus Black?"

"Sirius' little brother. That's a long, complicated story. At any rate, neither of them are likely to be very appreciative of our presence so we should probably—"

"Remus," Grace interrupted him calmly. "You can't come in there with me...I'm pretty sure that Severus may hate you. That might make things a bit difficult."

Remus frowned. "Snape likes you much better, then?"

"Well, not exactly," she began, biting her lip. "But I still think it would be easier if you just waited here."

He eyed her for a moment, his dissatisfaction written clearly across his face. "Alright," he said reluctantly. "Just keep your voice down...Madam Pince is a bit of a stickler when it comes to the library."

Her handbook was magically bound, only containing perhaps twenty pages or so at a time while inactive. There were carefully maintained contents pages that held the key to unlocking the book. By simply willing the book to reveal a chosen topic, the text would expand Grace's vade mecum as needed. The process had been extremely useful to Grace, making the handbook easy to carry and effortless to conceal. In this particular situation, evoked by her heedlessness, the enchiridion's functionality demonstrated particular folly while verifying its magnificent ability to become ensconced.

So there she stood, her mouth gaping and looking quite similar to a fish, before the two Slytherins in the quiet library. She had politely asked for her misplaced handbook upon her clearly unwanted arrival only to be met with a snide remark from Severus' end. She was certain he had the book, despite his denial, it was the only explanation.

"Give me back my book, Severus!" she demanded after a few moments in a low, harsh whisper.

He glanced up from his papers, blessing Grace with those elegant obsidian eyes that nearly absolved her fury, and watched her conscientiously. A brazen gleam flickered through his eyes accompanied by a smirk. "What book?" he asked casually.

Regulus snickered, refusing to look away from the textbook before him.

"You know what goddamn book!" Grace said in an indignant tone. "Listen, it is imperative that I get it back...just...really bad things would happen if I don't and... give it to me already, yeah?"

"You have quite a way with words, Potter," Regulus commented, still chuckling.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "And if this book is so important to you why were you so clearly neglectful with it?"

"Because...well I...I," Grace stammered, losing herself in her rage. "Argh! Give it to me!"

"I don't have your bloody book—"

"-you are a fucking cunt!" Grace exclaimed, her voice raising perhaps a touch too loud.

At her words Regulus lost his control. He fell to the ground howling with laughter and clutching his stomach.

"Be that as it may," Severus began coolly, glaring at her. "I still have no idea what you're on about."

Grace blushed at Regulus' cachinnation but remained steadfast. She placed a hand on her hip and widened her stance hoping she would appear intimidating. As she opened her mouth, her arm outstretched to point an accusatory finger at Severus, a rather shrill voice interrupted her.

"What the devil is going on in here? This is a library for Merlin's sake!"

Turning to stare into the face of Madam Pince, Grace snapped her mouth shut. She had forgotten about Remus' warning about being quiet in the library.

"Out, the lot of you," Pince commanded, pointing towards the large doors for emphasis.

Grace frowned, glancing at Severus who was mumbling incoherently under his breath and gathering his papers. He brushed passed her, knocking into her shoulder as he went. Regulus gave her a forced grin and followed suit. Guilt struck her, she should not be calling Severus names.

"Wait a second," Grace called after them, before pursuing in chase.

Like the delicate flower she was, she grabbed hold of Regulus upon reaching them just beyond the threshold of the door. Before he had the chance to brandish his wand, Grace slammed his front into the hard corridor wall, ignoring Remus' protests. She magically bound his hands behind his back and, upon noticing Severus' wand now aimed at her, swung Regulus around in front of her as a shield.

"What the hell are you doing?" Regulus demanded with a growl. He fought against her, thrashing about in vain.

Frustrated with his lack of compliance, Grace kicked his legs out from beneath him. She shrunk down behind him, wrapping her arms around him to keep him still, to avoid having a repeat of the Defense Against the Dark Arts class earlier that day.

"Grace, what are you doing?" Remus asked in a strained voice.

Regulus continued to struggle against her. "Let go of me you filthy—"

"Severus, give me back my damn book!" Grace demanded.

"Or what?" Severus asked, sneering.

"I...I'll take him hostage?"

She heard Severus scoff. "You do that, Potter..."

Grace frowned as he turned to leave. She was running out of options short of hexing Severus. With a frustrated sigh of defeat, she stood up, bringing the contending Regulus with her.

"Bloody hell, let go of me right now..."

"Hush, you," Grace snapped. "Ugh, balls!"

Remus sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So your big plan was to kidnap Sirius' little brother?"

"That blood-traitor is not my brother-"

With a groan, Grace began fishing through Regulus' pockets, ignoring his curses and dissension. "Well, I thought that they might be friends, studying together and all, but it turns out not very good friends—"

"Snape and I aren't friends, you dolt. Argh, what the hell are you doing?"

Grace grinned triumphantly as she found his wand, stuffing it into her own pockets for safe keeping. "Then why were you studying together?"

"Give that back, you bitch—ow!" Regulus growled in agitation as Grace belted him into the wall again.

"Answer me!"

"Grace, would you stop-" Remus began sounding slightly nervous.

Regulus snarled, thrashing even more harshly against Grace. "He's been tutoring me in potions for the last two years you bloody slag! We started immediately this year...I have fucking O.W.L.s this year...let go!"

Frowning Grace pushed him forward. "Walk."

"Grace—"

"Bugger off!"

"Fine!" Grace grumbled, striding forward and pulling a very reluctant Regulus behind her. In his struggle he continuously stumbled, occasionally falling to the floor. If he continued his bucking he was going to end up with some serious bruises.

Remus followed close behind. "Grace, you should really let him go now. He's of no use to you... Really Grace, this isn't a good idea! What are you planning on doing with him?"

Saying nothing, Grace threw open a broom closet door and pushed Regulus inside. Once closed, Grace leaned against the door and crossed her arms over her chest. She inhaled, and closed her eyes in thought.

"You stupid cow! You will pay for this!" Regulus voice came from behind the door.

"Grace, you really can't do this," Remus protested again.

"And why not?"

"Because it's kidnapping! And you've just made me an accomplice!"

"I didn't kidnap him, I just put him in a closet!"

"You took away his wand and bound his hands! You can't do that!"

"You," Grace said, pointing at Remus, "have too many rules!"

"You," Remus returned, "are an insane person!"

Faltering, Grace frowned. "You think that I'm insane?"

Remus' eyes widened and he brought his hand up to his head. "You...you...and...argh!"

"Grace!" A voice called before she had a chance to say anything.

The two turned their heads together as Lily approached them.

"Lily," Remus said curtly after regaining his composure.

Lily gave a kind smile. "Hello Remus." She turned to Grace. "Listen, I was going to tell you at dinner...," she trailed off, looking between Remus and Grace, awkwardly taking in their red faces. "But you were here...with him...and the broom cupboard- Oh- Oh! I'm sorry! I'll talk to you later—"

Grace's blush matched Lily's. "No! Lily- That's no- no."

It was at that moment when Regulus decided to bash himself against the door. "Let. Me. Out. Now!"

Lily frowned. "What is going on?"

"Oh you know, Grace kidnapped Regulus Black...," Remus said idly, looking pointedly at Grace.

"What?"

"I didn't kidnap him, Remus, stop saying that! I just put him in a closet."

"Do something with her Lily, please?" Remus asked.

Grace turned to Remus indignantly, opening her mouth to voice her resentful opinion but Lily cut her off again.

"Grace!" she exclaimed. "You can't lock people in closets! That's not right."

Grace frowned.

Lily sighed. "Grace, please just let him out."

"I can't! I need him."

"Grace, he already told you that he and Snape are not friends," Remus protested. "He's not going to be any use to you...Snape does not care about him!"

Lily narrowed her eyes. "What is going on?" she pressed.

"Severus has my book, and he wont give it back to me!"

"Book?" Lily asked curiously. "Grace, do you mean this book?"

Grace stared at Lily in horror as she retrieved Grace's handbook from her satchel.

"It was on the floor in the dormitory," Lily began. "I know I shouldn't have taken it without your permission, you were asleep, but I was curious. That's what I wanted to talk to you about at dinner... It has your name in it and well, I'm a bit confused... Anyway, I'm sorry for taking it and I'd like to talk to you about it later. Right now, though, you need to let Regulus out."

Wordlessly, Grace stepped aside, gingerly taking her book from Lily. She glanced up at Remus who was staring at her incredulously. That was right, she had set it on the edge of her bed before taking a nap earlier.

Lily, wand in hand, cautiously opened the door.

Regulus stumbled out, ranting incoherently. He jerked away from Lily as she attempted to untie his hands. "Don't touch me!"

Lily sighed. "If you want me to let your hands free, you need to hold still for just a moment."

Once Lily had managed to unbind him, he turned on Grace, seething with anger. "My wand."

Grace thrust it at him, her shoulders slouching in mild embarrassment.

"Stay away from me, Potter," Regulus hissed before turning on his heel and stalking away.

"Grace," Lily started. "What were you thinking?"

Remus answered for her. "She clearly wasn't thinking at all! Just what were you hoping to accomplish?"

"Really Grace, locking another student in a closet—"

"-Not to mention tying him up-" Remus added, helpfully.

"-all for a book that you left lying on the floor!"

With a weak smile, Grace shrank back slightly under Remus and Lily's expectant gazes. She was not entirely sure what they were anticipating her to say, so she offered a meek apology accompanied by a shrug. "Sorry?"

Lily let out her breath harshly. "Grace, I will speak with you later. I really need to run to the library. But this conversation is not over."

Remus turned to Grace as Lily departed, shaking his head.

"You're angry with me again," Grace stated, watching the expression on his face change a few different times.

"Grace," he sighed. "I am really trying here...but you have to give back just a little bit. I need you to at least try." He took a few deep breaths in attempt to calm himself. He rubbed the back of his head slowly and watched Grace for a long moment. "I'm sorry," he said, his facial features relaxing. "I'm not sure why, but you make me lose my temper faster than anybody I've ever met..."

Blinking, Grace offered him a small smile. "I'm sorry too, for upsetting you again."

He returned her smile softly. "Come on, let's get back to the Common Room. I have the feeling that we've been missed."

8:40 pm

Upon entering the Common Room buzzing with students, Remus and Grace found themselves under attack from the other three marauders. Sirius had pulled Remus into a hug, fussing over him.

"You can't just take Moony!" Sirius scolded her, not releasing his hold on the werewolf.

Frowning, Grace said indignantly, "I didn't take him." She folded her arms in front of her. "He followed me."

"Are you alright?" James asked, coming to stand beside her. "We went to the infirmary but you guys weren't there."

"And then we went to the Great Hall," Peter included. He patted his stomach. "You weren't there either, so we waited in case you showed up."

James gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, Wormy and Pads were so worried about the two of you that they felt the need to devour everything on the table." He smirked, leaning in a bit closer to Grace and lowering his voice to a whisper. "I think I even caught Padfoot sneaking over to the Ravenclaw table for seconds."

"That wasn't for seconds, mate," Sirius laughed, finally releasing Remus. "That was for dessert. Greta Catchlove a la mode!" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Grace wrinkled her nose at his tasteless humor but could not hold back the amused noise that had been threatening to escape her.

"Real worried about us, then, mate?" Remus chuckled, patting Sirius on the shoulder.

"I was receiving some much needed moral support," Sirius said with a grin.

With a roll of her eyes, Grace regarded her brother. "I'm fine," she assured him. "I just needed to do something and Remus tagged along."

"For moral support?" Sirius asked cheekily.

"You've had too much sugar today, Padfoot," James mumbled. "Besides, I don't need to hear about any 'going-ons' regarding my sister, kay?"

Remus' face flushed slightly. "Nothing's going on, Prongs!"

"Erm, so should we make a trip to the kitchens then?" Peter suggested, breaking the creeping tenseness. "You guys missed dinner, should be hungry..."

"Uhm, yeah," Remus agreed, his blush beginning to fade. "Sounds like a good idea."

"Worked up an appetite—"

"-Sweet Merlin, Padfoot!" James interrupted Sirius, smacking him on the back of the head. "Shut the hell up, mate!"

"Want to come Grace?" Peter asked, hopefully.

Grace gave him a small smile, appreciating his sentiment. She briefly wondered if cowardice was the only thing to change his alliance in the future. She felt a prickling sensation in the back of her throat. This was the boy who would be the cause of Lily and James' deaths. It seemed a bit surreal. The small, chubby, dewy-eyed Peter Pettigrew that stood before her had the best of intentions, as far as Grace could perceive. How was he possibly going to become a dastardly foe?

"No thanks," she said, feeling the pull of her addiction subside any hunger pangs that she had been experiencing. "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Before she reached the staircase, she heard James call after her. "Grace, wait."

She turned to find that James wasn't far behind her. The other three boys had already departed for the kitchens.

"I want to talk with you," he told her.

Grace paled slightly. "Uhm, James there really isn't anything going on between Remus and I if that's what—"

"-No, no," he said quickly. "That's not what I wanted...actually I don't think that's something I'm ever going to want to talk with you about. I just wanted to talk...I mean we haven't really ever since you've arrived. You're my sister and all..."

"Oh," Grace breathed with relief. "Sure, just give me a couple of minutes to change out of this fucking train wreck." She motioned at her school uniform.

James chuckled. "Yeah, alright. Meet me in my dorm?"

Grace nodded and continued on her way. She was nearly desperate to soothe the lingering yearn for a cigarette. To her dismay, Alice and Marlene were in the room as she flung the door open.

"...and you can't tell me you're not jealous at all! He was all over Catchlove at dinner tonight!" Alice was saying, quite loudly.

"What is there to be jealous of?" Marlene responded lazily, lounging on her bed. "We aren't in a relationship or anything. Besides...he always comes back." She grinned mischievously and raised her eyes as she noticed Grace walking through the room. "Oh, hey Grace."

"Pumpkin!" Alice exclaimed. "Lily's been looking for you."

"We thought you'd passed back out," Marlene added, "but your bed was empty when we got here."

Grace smiled at them, kneeling before her chest to find some more comfortable clothes and a pack of dwarf-grown tobacco cigarettes, her favorite. "Hello," she greeted. "I've just run into Lily not that long ago." She tucked the pack in the fabric of her folded jumper. She stood and began to head for the bathroom, hoping to escape any further conversation, but stopped a bit short when she noticed that the door was shut.

"If you need to use the loo, it's going to be a bit of a wait," Alice said.

"Dorcas is in there," Marlene explained. "Her showering time tends to exceed an hour."

Alice laughed. "We've made her start showering at night because none of us could get in there in the morning."

Sighing, Grace set her clothes on her bed and began to change. She would have to wait to get her fix. She discreetly slipped the pack into her jumper sleeve as she pulled it over her head.

"You're wearing shorts underneath your skirt?" Marlene asked, offhandedly.

Grace flushed. "I don't need any mishaps..."

Taken by a fit of laughter, Alice clutched her stomach. "We're all just lucky that Mar decides to wear pants under her skirts!"

"That's rude!" Marlene scolded indignantly, chucking a notebook at Alice, causing the short-haired girl to fall into another bout of laughter.

Grace chuckled, despite herself, at the girls' antics. "I'll see you guys later," she said with a wave.

She began down the staircase, wondering exactly what James had wanted to talk to her about, when she lost her footing. She tumbled down roughly, landing at the bottom with a soft thud. She cursed the staircase quietly for taking its revenge on her. The students in the Common Room stopped what they were doing to turn and look at the cause of the commotion.

Grace quickly picked herself up, pushing her hair from her flushed face and smiled sheepishly at the crowd. Hurriedly, she crossed to the boy's stairs.

"Balls," she muttered.


	7. Merlin Was a Slytherin

9:36 p.m.

Grace pushed open a window in the Marauders' dormitory, sighing contentedly in the wake of the rain's soft tapping. She lit a cigarette, at last, and inhaled the rich, smooth smoke, almost instantly easing her mind.

"What are you doing?" James asked from his bed beside her, his nose scrunched up.

Grace shrugged, reveling in her tranquility. "Preventing a complete meltdown."

"That's foul." James sat up, swinging his legs over the side of his four-poster to face her.

"Maybe...but it's done a great deal for my mental health." Grace grinned cheekily at her brother as he rolled his eyes. "So, what did you want to talk to me about. I'm sure it wasn't fuckin' reprimanding me on my bad habits, yeah?"

He laughed. "Naw, it's just... Well, you're my sister. Mum and Dad don't really like talking about you that much, it makes 'em sad I think. I just want to know...who you are." As he finished he brushed his hand through his hair nervously, causing it to splay out in a tangled mess.

"What do you want to know?"

James's eyes glazed over in thought and his picked at his duvet. "Well, there's the whole Trucido thing..."

"I destroy evil things," Grace said flatly before taking another drag.

Snorting, James said, "I get that much. I mean, you don't use a wand, but you can perform the same spells as regular witches. Do you have any special powers? Can you, like, shoot laser beams from you eyes or fly without a broom or have super strength? Why are you in Remedial Potions? What was that 'special' school like? What kind of danger were you in that made Dumbledore take you away? Are you still in danger? I mean, we couldn't even write you before. Why are you at Hogwarts now? What is with that book that you were reading from the other night? What is your friendship status with Lily Evans? And what the hell is going on between you and Moony because Sirius said something about lust and I still don't get the whole Serviato thingy. And-"

"—James!" Grace interjected. "Slow the fuck down!"

"Sorry," he said with a grin. "There's just so much that I don't get."

Grace smiled, her eyes softening as she watched her brother. "You know," she began softly. "I always wondered what my family was like...wondered what it would have been like to be normal..."

"And I've always wondered about my sister."

"People keep saying that you've never mentioned me."

"Mum said not to...you know, too many questions."

"Oh."

"Yeah." James rubbed the back of his head, watching Grace as she tossed her butt into the damp air and pulled the window closed.

Grace sat gently on the bed next to her brother, sighing.

"So...why exactly did you have to leave?"

Grace pressed her lips together and watched James thoughtfully. "Well," she began. "We have many ancestors that were Trucidamus, but the lineage was broken years ago. When mum and dad created a union—"

She paused as James made a face.

"Oh don't be such a fucking baby. You know as well as I do how children are made, James. Our parents had—"

"Dear Godric, what is wrong with you?" James shouted, covering his ears with his hands.

Grace laughed purely out of enjoyment to his reaction. "Relations."

"It's not funny," he said. "I'm the one who has to live with them..."

Still grinning, Grace continued. "Anyhow, I am the first Trucido in a long time. There is nobody to teach me, so I kinda just go along with what the book says. Outside of the protection charms placed around Hogwarts and Noctars, the fuckin' monsters are everywhere, man. I swear, they stalk me or something."

James frowned. "So why didn't you just come to Hogwarts to begin with?"

"Noctars is a school for the 'specially gifted.' There's a ton of different kinds of people there. There's Seers, vampires, one boy who has an issue with astral projection, a few phasers, some people with a reality warping ability...that one's really damn cool! Then there's Anne, she's a werewolf. Noctars is supposed to help us control our powers...and Albus has been giving me books about charms and spell casting so I've been practicing magic for a while..."

Furrowing his brow, James shook his head. "I guess I still don't get it."

Grace frowned and bit her lip in thought. She sighed and began to play with the hem on her jumper. "That's just where I was supposed to be, I guess. Fate's a bitch like that, y'now?"

"So, you have control over your 'powers,' then?"

Grace shrugged. "Maybe not all of them. I mean, that's why I'm here, right? To learn more about magic. I think I've got dimension linking down, thank gods for Albus' help with Alchemy! And I'm pretty good at killing things!" she added as a happy afterthought.

"What are you talking about?"

"I kill evil things," Grace reiterated, patting her brothers hand.

"Not that...dimensions and whatnot?"

"Oh, right. Uhm here let me show you," Grace placed her book on her lap, thumbing through the context until she came across Regnum Silenti Etc. Once the pages were in order, Grace gestured for James's attention. "Here, this is one."

James adjusted his glasses, squinting his eyes a slightly at the small, crooked writing. "Hey, I've read about that! That's the veil," he said pointedly.

Grace nodded. "Yeah, it's the portal between this world and the land of the dead... Herpo the foul created it, though I'm not sure what the hell for. Couldn't have been anything good. Not the best Trucido in the bunch-"

Paling, James interrupted her. "We are not related to a dark wizard, are we?"

"What?" Grace asked, looking up from the book. She snorted. "No of course we're not fucking related to Herpo. Our family weren't the only ones who had Trucidamus in their lineage..."

"Oh." James rubbed the back of his head. "I thought that you guys were supposed to be destroying evil."

"Not all of them used their powers for what they were supposed to. But then again, evil is kind of a vague subject. I mean, it all comes down to what an individual believes is right. Merlin had the right idea, but—"

"-Merlin was a Trucido?"

With a smile Grace continued, "Merlin tried to do too much, I think. The most successful people were the ones who focused more or less on one thing. Like Gifford Ollerton—"

"-You are can't compare that Giant slayer to Merlin! Merlin was the greatest Wizard to ever live!"

Grace chuckled. "Fine, so sorry to be rooting for the underdog," she said with a grin.

"Is that why you have a soft spot for Snivellous," he spat, his attitude altering suddenly. "You know, Daisy Hookum said she saw you two talking in the hallway a few days ago. Having a real fine chat?"

She shifted uncomfortably, frowning. "What's your problem with Severus?" she asked softly.

His face contorted. "My problem? He's the one who has the problem. He's a greasy, foul git who should have never been born, that's what's wrong with him. Have you seen that hair of his? He needs to learn how to take a proper shower. Not to mention, that he's a Slytherin—"

"-Merlin was a Slytherin."

"That," James seethed, "is a myth. And don't you dare compare that slimeball to Merlin either!"

Grace took a moment to breathe, fighting with her affronted temperament. She tugged at her hair, wanting very much to not only correct James that Merlin was in fact a Slytherin, but to also defend Severus. She held enough remorse for losing her temper with him previously that evening but did want to cause a rift in her and her brother's relationship at its very birth. "I know that he can be a bit...difficult to get on with but—"

"-Difficult?" James asked, fuming, his eyes beginning to smolder with emotion. "He's a bloody arse, is what he is! You of all people should know that he's playing around with dark magic. Don't you have an ability to detect evil or do you just wait until something tries to kill you until you decide?"

"Listen, he's not fucking evil okay—"

"-He's going to be a bloody Death Eater-"

Grace, becoming irate and forgetting herself, gripped the fabric of James' collar in her hands and pulled him up off of the bed with her. James' arm was twisted at an awkward angle as he raised his wand to the side of her face, its tip gently brushing her cheek. Grace's eyes narrowed to match her brother's.

"Take it back," she demanded in a low voice. She had not been able to see Severus in her visions, spare the few glimpses with Lily, but was sure that he would not turn out to be a follower of a dark wizard. His soul was far too pure for him to fall that hard. There was no way the soul she was supposedly meant to make her whole was going to be marred by dark magic.

"What's your problem?" James said through gritted teeth, stumbling slightly as Grace pushed him backward, releasing her hold on him. He snorted and dropped his arm. "It's no wonder why everyone thinks that you're a freak."

Grace lowered her eyes slightly, taken aback at his words. She folded her arms in front of her, hugging herself. She had to keep her emotions better in check. "I'm sorry," she muttered, feeling torn between her brother and Severus.

James dropped back down onto his bed, avoiding her gaze. "Just leave."

"James, please," she began, her mind racing to find an opportunity to save the moment. She glanced down at her book sprawled out on the floor, having spilled off of her lap when she assaulted James. "I didn't mean to...I..." She stooped down to collect her handbook. "I'm sorry." Grace started for the door, hoping that if she gave him some time that her brother would eventually cool off.

She paused as her fingertips grazed the cool door handle when she heard her name being called.

Running a hand through his hair, a particularly frustrated expression on his face, James finally glanced at her. "You don't have to leave."

Lost in confusion, Grace hovered by the door.

"I'm sorry Grace, I know that you're still new and that...you probably don't know any better. You have to be careful about who you are making friends with. Those Slytherins, especially that sniveling little wretch, they can't be trusted, Grace." James watched her intensely, continuing when her only response was an empty gaze. "Look, I know people like you. You want to see the good in everybody, but some people just don't have any good there. Evan's is the same way you know? And do you want to know something? She thought that she saw some kind of good in that snake too and you know what? He hurt her. Just ask her, if you don't believe me. I don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

Grace's mind was racing with possible responses to her brother's onslaught and she glanced down at the wooden floorboards beneath her feet, taking some time. She wanted to continue to defend Severus, although she did not know him. On the other hand, she very much wanted to concede and make James happy, although she did not have any idea who he was either. Vaguely, she was interested in asking why he had a change of heart so suddenly. Was it because he wanted an opportunity to get to know her and not burn bridges so early in their acquaintance? Or was his uncertainty based on something else, perhaps expectations? She wondered momentarily if she should ask him why he would care if something bad happened to her. He was her brother, and he seemed to be attempting to take on that role, but he knew next to nothing about her.

She felt a thought pulling at her mind, taunting her. Should she divulge information about herself to James so soon? After all, even the minute amount that Grace had revealed to Remus had caused friction in their relationship. This was her brother, however. If she would not be able to trust him, then who could she confide in? There was Anne, of course, but Anne was an ocean away. There was always Remus, although their friendship was still new and too rocky. Severus was completely out of the question, as she had insulted him twice now.

Being a Trucido was not exactly supposed to be a secret but keeping the knowledge from people would make things easier. No one would bother her for information and nobody would find out about Remus' condition indirectly.

Then there was always his previous statement that was lingering ominously in the room's already heavy atmosphere. He had said, "everyone thinks you're a freak." Again? She had already experienced enough isolation at Noctars. There was only Anne, Gretchen and Albus who accepted her. They were the only ones who put up with her antics, her instability and her inability to maintain a state of social normalcy for more than a few days at a time until excitement or agitation took control of her actions. The others shunned her. Their bullying and taunting had pushed her too far once already, she did not want for a repeat of that episode...

The idea of bullying of course brought her back to her dilemma of being torn between Severus and James.

She glanced up at her brother finally and his urging expression revealed to her that an inappropriate amount of time had passed for her to still be fumbling for a response.

There was a sudden rap on the door, startling Grace from her thoughts.

James peered at it over her shoulder looking slightly agitated. "Yeah?" he called.

"It's Lily," a voice returned with some reluctance. "I'm looking for Grace."

Panic rose swiftly from Grace's stomach. She had forgotten about Lily and was not ready to have the conversation that Lily wanted to have with her. Before James could answer, Grace waved her arms wildly in front of her body to gain his attention.

"I'm not here," she whispered anxiously.

James gave her a strange look, appearing slightly torn. "Hey Evans," he said cheerfully. "How are you?"

There was a brief silence followed by a sigh. "Potter, open the door."

Grace, wide-eyed, hurriedly escaped to James' bed and he titled his head at her curiously. She shot him a look and pulled the crimson curtains closed around her, effectively concealing herself from Lily.

As she released the rough fabric from her grip, she heard the door creak open.

"Evening Lilypad," James said, casually. "You're looking lovely tonight."

Lily's voice sounded exasperated as she responded. "Potter, I am not here for pleasantries. Have you seen your sister?"

"Hmm. Nope, can't say that I have. Have you checked with Remus?"

"If you see her will you tell her that I'm looking for her?"

"Sure, anything for you, love."

Lily did not respond.

"Ah, Evans! Wait!"

Grace blanched, her mouth falling open slightly in horror. James was going to expose her.

"About that Hogsmeade trip in a couple of weeks-"

"No, Potter."

Grace released her breath in a long slow exhalation as James relayed one last protest before the door clicked closed. She listened to the steady footsteps as they approached her, the soft thudding sound of shoes meeting hardwood resounding louder with each step. The curtains were pulled from around the bed, revealing her brother.

"Hiding from Evans, are we?" he teased, smirking. "I have to admit, she can be pretty scary. But why exactly are you avoiding her?"

"She found my book," Grace sighed. "I'm not ready to have 'the talk' with her."

"The talk?"

"Well I'm not sure exactly what she read, but I don't think that I am ready to tell her about all of this yet."

James offered her a grin. "Well, do what you want," he said. "But Evans will understand...she's actually pretty amazing."

As Grace regarded her brother's stricken expression, the relaxation of his facial muscles, the softening and particularly dazed gleam in his eyes as he spoke of Lily, Grace could not help but smile. She fought the urge that was tugging on her heart to let him know that he would eventually win the vivacious redhead's affection and to not give up on her.

Those thoughts merely triggered the tantalizing demise of James and Lily, the information feeling more like a curse suddenly. She should have expected that meeting her brother would make the knowledge far too real. Before, although he was her brother, he was just another face in a series of plays that had been haunting her dreams. Now he was a real person who was attempting to connect with her.

Perhaps Gretchen had been mistaken and Grace's dreams were just that: dreams. After all, there was only one other Trucido known in her lineage who had been a Seer. Grace felt that she could never be so lucky. The cogency of her encounter with Death had to be a prominent indicator of that.

She bit the inside of her cheek as she felt a dip in the bed as a result of James coming to sit by her once more.

"So, you were saying something about the Veil?" he prompted, in what Grace could only assume to be an attempt to regain some lost ground.

Grace remained lost in her thoughts however. "Uhm, yeah," she mumbled. "There's really not much written about it though. I don't know all that much about it."

"But you made a...portal? Where does it go?" James pressed, oblivious to Grace's onset of distraction.

She turned her head to face him, stuffing her worry back down her throat so that it could bubble in her stomach. She forced herself to smile again. "Cruor Terra," she explained as she held up her arm to show off her bracelet. "It's the moon charm, I opted to make my portal a bit less obvious than Herpo's...no don't touch!"

Grace pulled her arm away from the vicinity of her brother's impending hand and he laughed.

"You might take us somewhere we don't want to be," she said.

"Okay, so what is this 'Cruor Terra' exactly?" he asked, a hint of playfulness resounding in his voice.

Grace regarded him in thought. She had never attempted to explain what the other world was like before. She'd previously had discussions with Albus and Anne on the wars but never really what the world was all about. "Well, it's dark there...all of the time. Magic doesn't work properly there."

James' baffled expression prompted Grace to continue. "Well, you see, magic works a bit differently. Some of our world's creations work somewhat effectively when brought to Cruor, like poisons. But they use blood magic. Blood there tends to hold some properties and used in combination with certain ceremonies, it creates...magic. The vampires have the tendency to use blood that has purification qualities for youth and vitality. But that all takes far too much blood and so they have this thing for killing people..."

James looked a slightly uneasy. "...and you said that there are vampires at your old school?"

"They're different in Cruor than they are here. Very different, actually... I think that one of our ancestors might have carried the name over there because of the creatures' desire for blood... We are in the middle of a War with them right now, but we seem to be making some leeway," she added contentedly.

James asked, "We?"

"The other Cruors and I," Grace explained.

"You're in the middle of a war?"

Grace nodded.

"There's a war going on here, too," he muttered offhandedly, running a hand through his coarse hair.

"I'm aware."

"Yeah."

Their conversation was teetering on the edge of dangerous. If James was to take the leap into the territory of Grace's involvement in the Wizarding War, she would have to use some delicate maneuvering to avert his curiosity. James could not discover her precognition, it would raise too many questions. Albus still thirsted for bits of information, although he would not press her.

James appeared to let it go for the moment but Grace feared that as his time being involved in the war neared, he would venture into the subject of her own engagement. Or lack thereof, as she would expect.

"So," James continued, lazily. "What else can you do?"

Grace considered him for a moment, carefully taking in his body language. For the most part, she felt as if she was doing a decent job at behaving normally. This, of course, was excluding her attack on James. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said gingerly.

"Any cool powers?" James asked with his curiosity finally reaching his voice again. "Remember, laser beams, flying without a broom, super strength...?"

Grace laughed. "No, no laser beams. No super strength, but I do exercise daily. Gotta keep in shape! And I don't fly. With or without a broom."

With wide eyes, James regarded her with a look of having been scandalized. "You've never been on a broom before?"

His question sounded much more like an exclamation to Grace and she blinked at him. He had moved much closer to her in his excitement, leaning toward her. His eyes held a wildness about them and his entire form stilled with the rigid anticipation of her answer.

Cautiously, she shook her head.

Both of his hands latched onto her shoulders in excitement. "That's unbelievable! Grace, come on!" he began to tug at her, attempting to pull her off of the bed. "I can teach you!"

Grace recoiled, shaking her head furiously. "No, no! Fucking let me go James! I'm perfectly fine on the ground, thanks!"

"Aw, it's fun Grace! Just-come-on!"

"James!" Grace kicked at James' legs, pushing them out from underneath him. His resulting crash to the floor had Grace tumbling after him. He had not released the hold on her arms.

Grace's eyes widened, laying next to her brother on the cool floor, as he began to laugh heartily. He set free her limbs and wrapped his own arms around his stomach. Without really knowing why, she felt herself burst out into a bout of laughter. The two fed off of one another's chortles and cackles until they both were beside themselves with gleeful, giddy guffaws.

After a period of time, exactly how long Grace was unsure of, their laughter began to subside. The siblings remained side by side, breathing heavily. As Grace attempted to calm herself, she would only be thrown into another fit of giggles when James would suddenly begin to snigger again.

"St-stop!" Grace managed to say although she was significantly lacking oxygen. She whacked James in the arm but he only laughed louder. "You ha-ave t-to stop!"

She pulled herself to her knees and dragged herself back to James' bed using great effort to ignore her brother.

"I'm okay," he breathed, using his harms to push himself up so that he was sitting. "Maybe tomorrow, then?"

"You're not getting me on a broom...ever."

"You have no idea what you're missing out on! It's bloody brilliant is what it is."

"That's fantastic. I'm not doing it." She paused and studied James. He eyes were already glassy with thought. He probably had an uncountable number of reasons that he would use to get Grace off of the ground. Grace did not particularly want to argue with him about it, so she decided that a subject change would do them both some good. "And to answer a previous question, Lily and I are acquaintances. Not that I'm going to get involved in you little love quest, anyway," she said, smiling.

Her distraction had worked. James now appeared to be committed to this new subject. "I don't need your help," he said smugly. "Evans will come around."

Grace laughed. "Really now?" She teased as James joined her on the bed. "Because it seems to me that she's not very fond of you."

The smug expression never left James' face. "Ah, but that's where your wrong. You see, Moony said that Frank said that Alice said that Lily told her that she admired how I stood up for my friends. She thinks I'm...gallant."

Not being able to help herself, Grace chuckled again. "Doesn't seem that way to me."

James narrowed his eyes at her, but his smile suggested that it was only in play. "Says the girl who is in denial of having a soft spot for a certain werewolf."

"I thought you didn't want to talk about Remus and I?" she said firmly, but not before executing another one of her famous fish impressions.

"I thought you said there wasn't a 'Remus and I'?"

"There's not," she said through her laughter. "Its an empathetical connection I have with him. A fairly strong one. That's it. By the way...its pronounced Servator."

"Hmm," James hummed in thought. "It seems to me that you are taking a bit of liking to him."

"Oh gods, James," Grace said, rubbing her forehead. "Can't we talk about something else? I've already told you that Remus and I weren't meant to be together."

"Oh yeah. The true love thing."

"Yeah."

"Do you know who that is?"

Grace nodded solemnly. "Yeah...but you shouldn't have to worry about that much. I'm pretty sure he fucking hates me. I'm not even sure I like him all that much at the moment, myself."

James' face suddenly changed expression, his eyes wide. "Oh Merlin, don't tell me it's Sirius-"

"Oh gods!" Grace exclaimed, cutting him off. "No, it's not Sirius, fuck, why would you think that...Sirius hates me?"

Looking down quickly, James pressed his lips together. "No, no. He's just not very happy that you're stealing Moony."

"I'm not stealing anybody!" Grace protested.

James laughed but pressed on. "Well, who is it then?"

She gave him a questioning look. "Do you really want to delve into my love life?"

"Actually...no." James coughed before picking up her handbook. "So what else is in this thing?"

The muffled sounds of talking could be heard from beyond the door and Grace and James ceased their conversation. With a purposeful force, the door flung upon and Sirius excitedly bounded through the aperture, quickly followed by Peter just as enthusiastically. Remus shuffled in last, an amused smirk on his face and closed the door before his eyes settled on the two still seated on James' bed.

"You missed it Prongsie!" Sirius said, slapping James on the shoulder.

"What did I miss?"

"The first prank of the year!" Peter sang before flopping onto his own bed.

James looked as though somebody had struck him across the face. "You didn't...without me?" he asked incredulously.

"Bad luck, mate," Sirius said grinning. "You're the one who decided to stay behind for your bird gen."

James grunted and stood with a frustrated sigh. "You're a right arse, you know that? The whole lot of you," he added as an afterthought as he made his way across the room to the bathroom door.

Sirius emitted a bark-like laugh. "But it was your bloody idea...it was too brilliant to let sit! Jamsie! Come back!" He banged his hand against the closed door, laughing.

"Bugger off, Padfoot!"

Grace asked curiously, "Prank?"


	8. Not a Great Day

The air was dense.

It was as though, if she were to attempt to pull in some sweet oxygen to relieve her burning lungs, she would only intake liquid. Surprise engulfed her upon the realization that she would not be able to breathe. She thrashed out against the atmosphere, attempting to kick herself away from the ground to reach the surface's tantalizing refuge. There was no break from the liquid, doubtfully even far beyond the boughs of the decaying trees that hovered far above her head. Her feet would only leave the ground and would come crashing down without the restrictive pull of liquid, despite its pressure tickling her skin. She jerked and convulsed, attempting to escape from the watery catacomb. She was afraid, panicked at the thought of dying. She was only eight.

With the dizzying effect of having no oxygen, holding her breath in fear of drowning, she collapsed onto the petrified craggy surface below her. She gazed up through the foggy water in wonderment. How did the trees grow down here? Where was the dim hallowed spectral light radiating from, in the midst of the sodden ubiquitous darkness? Why was she forsaken, without companion in the frigid dead of night, abandoned without care in the underwater forest? She was only a child.

She felt her body succumb to its need for breath and she inhaled.

Her eyes fluttered closed as relief spilled through her and she nuzzled the rocky ground. The heavy air was breathable.

 _Child..._

She started once more, pulling herself off of the ground with impressive fortitude. She attempted to stand tall in the wake of the voice's source. It was an ominous figure, shrouded in wisps of black. Its face was obscured by the thick hood that was draped over its head and limbs were hidden effectively by the billowing cloak it donned. The curved blade of the scythe that loomed over, capturing the only bit of eerie incandescence with a haunting gleam, only served to make the figure more menacing.

 _...slayer._

The words resounded from the dark woods, from the blackness above, from anywhere but the hooded creature. It was as if he did not speak but created vociferous words that echoed throughout twilight.

"W-what do you want, demon?" the girl demanded, her voice wavering beneath the burden of her fright. It cracked and shook despite her best attempt to show fearlessness.

The figure appeared before her, lacking the necessary movement to do so.

Startled, the girl fell back to the rugged ground and glared up at the fearsome embodiment. She was lacking the skill and ability to defend herself, still learning, still young. The reality of her situation was wrapping itself around her throat, making it difficult to inhale.

 _...the one who has been blessed... The power. One who can see._

She remained silent. She was confused. She was afraid. She was alone.

 _You shall not try to alter what is to come. Fate is immutable. Only tragedy will become those who attempt to change one's fate._

The girl was frozen, convinced that she was going to die here.

 _Child. You will have back what will be taken from you, as you will return to me what I have gifted..._

"I don't understand!" the girl said, finally, no longer fighting the tears that now rolled freely down her cheeks.

 _A soul has escaped my grasp. I am but a harbinger...he has escaped to the place I am forbidden..._

The girl hugged her knees to her chest, sobbing silently into them. Perhaps if she buried her face, closing her eyes, she would wake from this sordid dream.

 _You must return him to me. In time, slayer, in time... You will come to understand. Do not try to change what you see, do not interfere. In time...we will meet again._

"Leave me alone!" she begged, rocking herself gently. "Leave me alone..."

 _What is it that you most desire...?_

"I WANT TO GO HOME!"

* * *

September 4th , 1976

4:45 AM

Grace woke with a start, gasping as the cool air in her lungs was replaced by the delicate warmth of the room. No matter how many times she'd relived that same event, it always shook her. As she grew older she began to understand the cryptic conversation. She'd spoken with Death itself, on a plane of existence (or utter nonexistence) that was still mysterious to her. In time, it had promised. In time they would meet again. Maybe then she would understand what it wanted from her. Until then, she would remain impartial.

But what of the lives that hung in the balance?

It had not disturbed Grace as much as it did now.

She inhaled, steeling herself, pushing her emotions back down her throat. The scent around her immediately calmed her, taking her a bit by surprise. Remus' scent was everywhere. The deep earthy aroma enveloped her, and she sunk further down into the soft duvet, reveling in its protective aura.

She blinked into the blackened room, disoriented, and listened carefully to the sounds in the room. Something was not right. She thought back to the events of the previous night.

"Prank?" Grace had asked.

Sirius told her pointedly that she would have to wait until morning to find out. Remus explained to her that they had a tradition of pulling pranks, it was their thing. Sirius reminded Remus that "we" had a tradition, and it was "our" thing, meaning the marauders, all four of them. Peter said that the pranks were always hilarious, worthy of any punishment they would receive in return. James came out of the bathroom and demanded that he should never be left out of their plans again, especially if it was his idea and especially if it was the first prank of the year.

Grace didn't understand.

Grace had lingered in the boys' dormitory, trying to wait Lily out until she was sure that the redhead had gone to bed.

After a long conversation about the wonders of flying, as James had formed an alliance with Sirius to retaliate against Grace, she finally sat next to Remus on his bed. He was doing his homework.

Homework.

Grace thought that she should probably get started on that as well. Her books were in her own dormitory, however, and homework just seemed trivial. She needed to figure out how to get to Vicis. She needed to learn more about Morticaine. She needed to learn how to make Morticaine.

After some mild exchanges, as Remus was seemingly engrossed in his work, Grace opened her handbook.

She must have fallen asleep.

Now, as she lay there, she realized that she was still in his bed. Tentatively, she stretched her arm out across the bed, expecting to find the warmth of his body. When her fingers dipped off of the edge of the bed, she sighed in relief. But where was he and why hadn't he woken her?

Grace threw one of her legs off of the bed, groggy, and pushed herself up. She had a long day of damage control ahead of her, not to mention training and classes. She could not possibly avoid Lily forever. Grace would have to have the long, tedious conversation with the redhead that she had been hoping to avoid with many people. Then, of course, she would have to apologize to Severus. Grace feared that she was burning her bridges with him quickly and that was no way to come to know him. There had to be something, anything, that she would eventually find in him to be admirable, after all. He was supposed to be her soul mate. There was also the small matter of Regulus Black. She might try to fix that, if she had the time. It was probably unwise to make enemies in her new school so soon.

First, she would find Remus. The full moon was drawing ever more near and Remus would not be feeling well. It would not serve him well to be sleeping on the sofa in the Common Room. He should be resting in his own bed.

As she proceeded to blindly walk, only achieving a few numb steps, Grace's foot caught something on the floor. It caused her to lose her balance and she stumbled, crashing to the floor in her tired daze.

"Mph!"

Grace's eyes widened as she heard the startled grunt below her. She moved her hands about the warm lump she was laying on, feeling the gentle movement of inhalation beneath the fuzzy fabric of a duvet. Her breath hitched as she felt the newly discovered feeling of arousal in the pit of her stomach and she froze.

"What'r y'doin'?" Remus' sleepy voice came from beneath her, causing her to jump slightly.

That explained the feeling, Grace realized. She had landed on top of Remus and she must have woken him. With it being only a few days before the full moon, Grace concluded that the wolf's primal needs were being triggered by something as trivial as being woken in such a compromising position. It must have been their empathetical connection, she decided, that was stirring feelings of her own.

"Lumos," Remus whispered.

Grace blinked against the soft light, the sight of her hands still pressed firmly to the werewolf's chest slowly becoming clear. She let her eyes travel upwards until she met Remus' gaze. His face was flushed and she felt her own cheeks tinge pink as the pull in her abdomen intensified.

"Uh," Grace began, quickly trying to lessen the awkwardness of her situation. "What are you doing on the floor?"

Remus blinked at her. "You were sleeping on my bed..." He trailed off, watching her. Grace did not miss the uncomfortable grimace he made as he shifted slightly beneath her, putting a stop to his wand's offensive light. "Can, uh, could you get off of me?"

"Oh, right." Grace scrambled to remove herself, embarrassed. "So...you can have your bed back now. Training and such," she whispered, fleeing quickly through the darkness.

7:30 AM

Grace avoided Remus' gaze as she approached the Gryffindor table.

She felt silly, though. It was an accident, the incident held no meaning. It was something that they could simply laugh off if Remus had only not portrayed an emotion of resounding complexity at the sight of her. Grace could not quite analyze this emotion and it made her feel awkward.

Grace slid onto the bench next to her brother, on the opposing side of the table that Remus was at.

"Sleep well?" James asked between bites of toast, his tone stubborn.

Grace blushed, staring down at an empty plate in front of her. "Somebody could have woke me up..."

She was idly aware of the buzz in the Great Hall this morning. There was a fair amount of excitement, people shouting, and much movement but she was more focused on not looking anywhere but her plate.

Peter was hiccuping between bouts of laughter, and she even heard her brother snort.

She did not see what was funny about her falling asleep.

Unless Remus had told them about Grace practically molesting him in his sleep.

Grace needed a distraction. Luckily for her it was breakfast time and she could easily bury herself in a bowl of porridge before escaping to Herbology. Perhaps even Lily would come to rescue her. She was sure the redhead was still looking for her after all.

A hand stopped her from her advancement on the porridge and she looked up at Remus. He'd met her in the middle of the table over the bowl of porridge.

"Don't eat that," he said quietly before releasing her.

Their eyes locked for a moment. Remus looked worn. He was tired, Grace knew, she could feel its heaviness. He was nauseous. He was anxious. On top of all of that, he was feeling something unrecognizable. Or at least the wolf was.

Grace frowned at him, but he gave her a small smile and and his eyes flicked behind her.

Curious, she turned her head around and Peter lost himself in a fit of laughter, dragging Sirius and James along with him. Grace raised her eyebrows at the sight before her. Students were yelling. Body parts were swelling, being exaggerated in severe proportions. One girl ran by, her lips so swollen that Grace could hardly make out any of her other facial features. A boy was rolling across the ground, finding it impossible to get up as his bottom had expanded so wide that it was weighing him down. There was a mass of hair bumping into tables and students alike. Grace assumed that was another student as well, drowning in their own hair. There were many others in similar predicaments, it seemed. The staff table had been abandoned as teachers were mingling with the students, attempting to fix what was wrong.

Grace blinked. She had to start paying more attention to her surroundings.

She tilted her head to the side as she turned back to face Remus. The other three boys were all but on the floor with their laughter. Remus was beginning to chuckle slightly himself.

"Uh?" Grace asked Remus, intelligently.

He shrugged. "The prank," he said in a hushed voice.

"Oh...the porridge? It's not very nice to mess with people's food." Grace did not see what was so funny about disfiguring innocent students.

"You lot," came McGonagall's voice from behind Grace. "In my office, now."

September 8th

10:37 PM

Grace was in the middle of yet another heated staring contest with the girl's staircase from her crimson seat that was an overstuffed arm chair. It was always futile to challenged the old crooked stairs as they never yielded to Grace's demanding gaze. No, they would continuously stare her down, taunting her with their ominous dull color. Grace wondered what would happen if she were to give the damned things a fresh coat of lacquer. Or maybe she would paint them silver and green, causing them to contrast the rest of the crimson and gold Common Room. That would show them.

As always, Grace's eyes began to water, becoming heavy beneath the strain. She squinted and gripped the firm arms of the chair tightly to steady herself. She held her breath, her toes curling and her entire body going stiff. Her body began to quiver and she felt her face began to heat up. Finally, as always, Grace's eyelids dropped for that detrimental fraction of a second that determined her defeat.

Grace shouted in frustration, startling the very few lingering classmates that still occupied the Common Room with her. She hurled her Charms book that had been cradled in her lap across the room towards the staircase. It opened, pages fluttering in the air as the book tumbled unevenly to the ground short of her target.

She growled. It had been a long week.

On Tuesday, Grace had received three days worth of detentions due to her involvement in the marauders prank. Grace had argued that she had nothing to do with the prank, with James backing her up. McGonagall did not believe her. Remus, whom McGonagall was especially disappointed in because he was a Prefect, told Grace that she had probably earned the detention anyway due to the "Regulus incident" as he had called it. Sirius had hugged her because that was "the most brilliant thing I've ever heard!"

The story reminded her that she had some damage control to do. She went to find Severus.

"Come to accuse me of thievery again, Potter?" he had hissed. "Or perhaps you've come to comment on my...'lovemaking' skills?"

Grace had been too preoccupied by the toilet paper trailing from his shoes to really take offense to his attitude. She had stepped on the white offender, hoping to discreetly detach it from Severus. As she had stepped forward to do so, Severus stepped back, successfully ridding his shoe of the paper. He had noticed where her gaze had fallen, however, and followed it.

Despite Grace's best attempt to hide it, Severus saw. His sneer had turned into a frown at his realization.

Grace had swallowed, bringing her foot back beneath her. "I just wanted to apologize..."

He had only nodded slowly, turning from her to continue in his interrupted path.

Lily Evans had cornered her that Tuesday, demanding to know why Grace has been avoiding her. Grace reluctantly told her the story of being a Trucido and attending Noctars. She had left out as much information as she could while still satisfying the redhead's inquiries. Lily was more than compliant to keep her secret and Grace hoped that they would not have to get past the mere idea of being a demon slayer.

The days to come, filled with curious glances and idle questions, would prove to Grace that Lily would eventually become far too inquisitive to let the secrets fester.

On Wednesday, Grace realized that her procrastination would become an issue. She had not even started any of her homework, had not even opened a single textbook. What was worse, was that she had ruined her and Peter's chance at mastering the Draught of Peace.

Professor Slughorn had decided that since the Draught of Peace was such a difficult potion it would be to the students' advantage to be able to practice the potion, giving them four attempts to create an acceptable potion. As such, it would result in the use of ample supply of ingredients. Slughorn had given the students the task of collecting a sufficient supply of at least one of the ingredients as the majority were relatively easy to find.

Out of the several ingredients, Grace had chosen to collect Unicorn Horn. Although it was going to be used in its powdered form for the potion, Grace had read in her handbook that Unicorn Horn was an active ingredient in the preventative antidote for Morticaine. Grace would have to have the poison running through her veins during her attack in Cruor and could not use the antidote during her siege on the vampires. However, once she figured out several key factors including the creation of a portal to Vicis, learning and effectively executing the making of Morticaine (a process that would include many ingredients, 307 careful steps, and a six-month maturation period), and making its antidote (which consequently was more complex, requiring more steps and more ingredients), it would prove helpful in her attempt at creating an immunity to the poison.

Slughorn was elated at Grace's brazen choice. Peter, however, was not so enthused. Apparently obtaining Unicorn Horn was severely difficult.

If Peter wanted to partake in the decision, Grace had decided, he should not have been in the loo.

Peter's sore attitude only worsened when Grace ruined their Pepperup Potion in the second half of the block. Slughorn had thought it would be sufficient practice for the Remedial students, as it was a particularly easy potion. But Grace added the Mandrake root too early, and the potion bubbled rapidly before turning an odd shade of puce.

"Oops," Grace had offered.

Peter's mouth fell open slightly as he had watched the disaster occur. "B-but...but this one is so easy!"

He had second thoughts about being Grace's Potions partner.

Regulus Black had hexed her later that day. The instant scalping hex, leaving Grace's unruly, wild brown hair in a pile on the corridor floor.

It had been a threat, Grace realized. He had hexed her and walked off with a glare.

Grace visited the infirmary, hoping Madame Pomfrey could help her. It did not take long, though, for the news of Grace's baldness to spread through the school like wildfire. It reached James' ears by the time Grace had returned to the Common Room.

The marauders declared war that day. Grace knew that it would only escalate the problem. James refused to listen.

By Thursday Remus was exhausted, wearing Grace down along with him. His more primal instincts were in overdrive. He kept close to Grace, following her around as if he belonged there. Part of Grace had been enjoying his company, but the other part was hesitant to be around him in this state. He refused to let her help him but the wolf inside him was driven to be close to her.

He would sit too close so that their shoulders would touch.

"Why don't you just sit on her lap, Moony," James had remarked bitterly during lunch.

Sirius had nudged James. "Lighten up, Prongs. Nothing wrong with a little PDA now and again." He had grinned and winked at Grace following his statement.

Grace had frowned and slid down the bench slightly. That had not helped, as she soon became wedged between Remus and Peter.

She decided that the next day she would sit with Lily.

He often would lean towards her in their conversations. He leaned in far too close as if every word she spoke was critical.

"...and so then Marlene decided that she would just go to bed," Grace told him.

Remus' narrowed his eyes slightly in thought. "And then what happened?"

"Uhm, nothing really. We just all kind of went to sleep after that."

"Interesting," Remus had concluded with a nod. "And so what happened when you all woke up?"

He had become a tad over-protective.

"What do you mean you're pairing Grace and Snape as partners for the year?" Remus exclaimed in the middle of Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Professor Short raised an eyebrow at his outburst. "Mister Lupin, the pairings are based on skill and-"

"He used a blasting curse on her!" Remus had protested.

Grace had shrunk down in her sink slightly.

James had agreed steadily with Remus.

James hexed both Severus and Regulus that day.

Remus was constantly trying to brush strands of hair out of her face. Her hair was similar to her brother's: unruly and thick. This made his mission impossible.

None of this would have been bad, except for the confusing emotions Remus had been radiating.

Grace considered asking Regulus to hex her bald again.

On Friday Grace had sat with Lily at breakfast, her hair pulled tightly back into a poor excuse for a ponytail. Lily told Grace that she would fix it before classes.

Her evasion attempt had been to no avail, as James decided that he would join Grace, sitting pointedly to sandwich Grace between Lily and himself. Consequently, the other boys followed suit, sitting around the four girls.

Remus sat as far away from Grace as possible.

He had been in a particularly foul mood for reasons unknown to Grace. Although he continued to stay close by her that day, he was refusing to speak to her.

"What's your problem?" Sirius had demanded by the time Transfiguration had ended.

Frowning, Remus had said, "Nothing. Why do you keep asking that?" His tone told everyone that 'nothing' was an untrue answer, but Sirius had accepted it.

Grace had the misfortune of serving detention with him that evening.

"What is wrong?" he had asked again, as he had been doing so for the majority of the day.

Grace raised an eyebrow at him while she was scrubbing whatever slimy substance was caked onto the bottom of a small cauldron. "Nothing," she had said. "What's wrong with you?"

He had frowned and continued his work. He sighed. "Do you have to make so much noise while doing that?"

They would have to do something differently next month, Grace decided. Luckily she expected that his mood swings would come to a stop with the passing of the moon. She just wished she could help him. It had never been this way with Anne.

Early today, Saturday, she had spent most of her day hidden in the Room of Requirement training.

Despite how many illusions she had created to stimulate her enemies, the results were always unrealistic. Her knives would pierce the skin but the there was no resistance. Her magic would hit its target but there was no impact. Her ax would tear the muscles in the necks, and she could pull the heads free from the torsos, but there was no satisfying pop that signified the break in the vertebra. She'd even allowed the vampires to attack her, dropping her body over the jagged edge of the pike. Even though her skin and muscles tore, and there was a vague awareness of the stone pushing through her body, there was no pain. There was no blood. None of it was real.

Grace fought the urge to kill. It was a new feeling. Killing had always been an unfortunate result of hindering evil. It was a preventative from the slaying of the innocent. She had never received pleasure from taking a life, no matter how evil it was. She would morn the losses and revel only in the safety and well-being of others. The new feeling terrified her, so she pushed herself far too hard to try and overcome it. She trained.

Now, exhausted, she sat in the scarlet-wallpapered Common Room, gently lit by the crackling fireplace, staring at the stairwell to the girls' dormitories. Grace found that the inability to handle everything that was going on could be temporarily cured by a distraction. Her distraction seemed to be making imaginary enemies out of inanimate objects, but it kept her sane, for now.

Grace could not think about everything, it would destroy her. She could not think about her visions or newly established relationships. She could not ponder on whether or not she should listen to Death's warnings on not interfering. What if she was being played? With the information bestowed upon her, she could provide great assistance in changing the outcome of the first Wizarding War, and possibly prevent the second. She could stop the deaths of the people she was growing to care for. She could track down Peter Pettigrew now and stop his betrayal on her brother. She could find Lord Voldemort and possibly rid the world of his existence. Or, at least, she could die trying. But what if Death was right and fate was not changeable. What if her efforts would prove ineffective at the hand of some other antagonist? What if they all died anyway with no way to bring them back?

She could not fathom the reason why Anne had not written her. It frightened her, but she could not think about that now. What if something happened to Anne? In a world full of prejudices that would classify a werewolf as a Dark creature, would there be somebody who would cause harm to Anne? In a foolish retaliation to the belief that all werewolves would turn into a bloodthirsty beast, sans humanity, during the full moon, had somebody attempted to kill Anne? It was due to the common misconception and extreme prejudice that most werewolves would never know that there was some escape from the curse. Or, at least, there was a way to live with it. Anne knew that. Anne harnessed that knowledge.

Furthermore, Grace could not ponder about Remus' reasons to choose not to accept her assistance. Although Albus had made it clear that Remus, himself, had been under the same animosity of his curse, Grace could not understand why he would not want to control it. The acceptance of the wolf's soul would only help him, it would stop the beast's rage. But she could not think about all of this, because Remus had forbidden her from helping. He had even forbidden her from being with him tonight, during his transformation. So now he was out there, with the rest of the marauders, on Hogwarts' grounds, in the hallowed light of the full moon, trapped somewhere between beast and man. His control over his transformation would assist in his ailments surrounding the full moon. Or, at least, it would help his and Grace's relationship. He had proven very in control of not letting the beast completely loose, shoving its driven needs back inside him, but it had resulted in a bumpy couple of days. Surely that was something Grace could live with. Grace wanted Remus to be happy. Could he be happy knowing that he would be forever cursed? Would he ever accept the soul inside him? Would he ever let Grace help him?

Grace refused to think about her schoolmates starting to distance themselves from her. She had been singled out because of her differences at Noctars, something Grace still could not fathom. Why would she be singled out in a school where everybody was different, where everybody was special. Now, at Hogwarts, the students could sense her oddities. She heard the tail end of rumors that James had been struggling to stop. The main source of the drama had been from Regulus. He assured his fellow classmates that Noctars was a mental institution. Grace had been dismissed under the false pretense of her sanity. The Hogwarts population had learned of her attack on him. Clearly she was not sane and therefore should be sent back to the institution. She was dangerous, came the general consensus. The marauders had to be around her so often to keep an eye on her, in case she snapped. Or, at least, Grace needed a skilled witch like Lily Evans to be by her side otherwise, in case Grace lost it.

She could not think of the piles of schoolwork yet to be done, because she had yet to start any of it. Her professors were becoming concerned and she had even told Slughorn, after being called behind after class, that she was struggling to complete her assignments simply because she did not understand the content. He was going to arrange for her to meet with a tutor on Monday to begin sessions so that she would comprehend the 'art of potion making'. It could not hurt, as she would need to advance her skills enough to create both Morticaine and its antidote. But she could not think about that because she needed to find a way into Vicis. She needed to learn more about her predicament. Or, at least, she needed to become close enough to somebody who would give her an object that she could turn into a portal.

Then there was Severus. She could not think about him either. She could not think about different ways to get close to him because he seemed to push absolutely everybody away from him. He refused to give her a chance to get to know him. Grace's attempts to talk to him had resulted in less frequent responses. Even in Defense class, when she would sit next to him, he would ignore her questions about his advanced skills in wordless spells, as that seemed to be what they would be studying this year. He evaded her attentions outside of class too. Or, at least, he tried to avoid her brother and his friends outside of class. The marauders were with her most of the time. The only occurrences that he would approach her had been solely when she was with Lily. The redhead steadily ignored him, and he never spoke to or glanced at Grace, but Grace recognized the presence of emotion in his obsidian eyes when he looked at Lily. Severus had feelings for Lily, Grace soon realized. But she could not think about that.

Grace frowned at the staircase. She would train more, maybe then she would be able to thwart the inanimate object.

September 9th

5:51 AM

Grace was drenched in sweat when she made her way into the infirmary. Her wild hair was pasted to her head, sticking to her face. The t-shirt she wore that typically would hang loose was clinging to her toned body, hugging her.

Despite Remus' attempts to push her away, Grace knew that he would need her in the aftermath of the moon. He had specifically told her to not involve herself in his transformation, but had neglected to say anything about the morning after.

The early morning light spilled onto the stone floor of the Hospital Wing, illuminating the room. Grace could feel Remus' presence from the doorway, despite his placement at the far end, hidden behind the green-curtained divider. He was in pain.

When she finally made it to his side, she had to stop herself from gasping at the sight of him. His skin was a sickly grayish color, almost as if he were extremely ill. Dark circles had formed under his closed, puffy eyes as if he had not slept for weeks. His breathing came in shallow, labored bouts. The white bandaging that was wrapped around his arm was soaked in his own blood. He must have bitten himself, Grace deduced. The nurse would have found a way to stop the bleeding, otherwise. Werewolf bites did not respond well to typical potions and salves.

Defeated, Grace fell to her knees at his bedside. She wrapped her hand around his as it lay at his side and pressed her forehead against it. Her other hand found its way across his chest, wary of the wound on his arm. Hot tears rolled down her face, at first without her knowledge until the tickle on her cheeks made her aware.

She steadied herself. Grace had to help him, she could not let him suffer the way he was. In her book, there were mentions of a transferal charm that could be enacted between Servator and Trucido due to their connection. It was a simple charm, that would allow the other to receive a controlled amount of the pain from one and transfer it onto the other.

Grace focused on breathing. She focused on the pain that Remus was feeling, singling out the empathetical feelings. Eventually, she began to feel her own joints flare with discomfort. Her skin pricked as if it did not belong to her. The ache in her muscles intensified and she could feel the pressure of the bite on her own arm. She pulled harder, trying to take more of his pain from him. Slowly it worked.

"Grace?"

She opened her eyes at Remus' rough voice, realizing that they were enveloped in a white light.

"What are you doing?" he asked, a bit raspy and tired.

Grace sniffled, fighting with her breath to steady it against her sobs. It was not the pain that brought on her sadness. It was everything else. "H-helping," she managed. "Just let me."

She realized her own voice sounded desperate to her ears, but did not care.

She felt his free hand move to her hair, patting her gently on the head.

"Why are you crying, Grace?" he asked. "Are you in pain?"

Grace inhaled sharply. She was not in pain, just slight discomfort. Apparently she was failing at this Transferal charm as well. It made her cry harder. "No," she strained.

"Maybe...," Remus started, his emotions changing slightly from upset to guilt. "I don't understand what's going on with you but...I can't do this to you every month. I can't act the way I've been acting, Grace it's making me crazy. And I can't do this to you either. Maybe...we shouldn't be friends-"

"D-don't!" Grace stammered, her grip on his hand tightening. "Just don't. It's f-fine...I'll figure it out. It will be different next time...it'll be fine." Grace felt the discomfort in her body intensify, slowly growing into something she could finally call pain. "Everything's going to be fine...I promise..."

Remus did not respond to her but continued to stroke her hair.

Everything was going to be fine. Grace just needed somebody to be there.


	9. Illuminating the Night

September 18th, 1976

4:34 p.m.

Grace crouched down behind a cool, stone wall, peaking back over her shoulder every so often to make sure that nothing was approaching. She was trying to listen for footsteps, a voice, anything to signify another person or enemy nearby. It was almost impossible to see anything through the darkness of Cruor Terra, especially since all of the lights had been extinguished. She was not certain as to what was happening. The rubble that surrounded her feet, the rubble that had once been the building that housed meetings for the Congressional Alliances, gave her some inclination that the vampires had infiltrated. Why they would forge a full-fledged attack while they were in such a weak state was beyond Grace's understanding. She could not think of another explanation.

The Cruors had sent for her; Grace had hoped it was news of an alternative method of attacking the vampires, other than poison; it had been a call for help.

After a few moments of quietly waiting, no noise, not a scuttle nor a scratch reached Grace's ears. She slid her body against the wall as she rose, rounding it. She took a few deep breaths, her bag pressed between the wall and her back, her machete grasped firmly in her right hand. She braced herself, and moved away from the wall, blindly stumbling over objects.

It was a bit ridiculous, really, Grace could not help but think, that she had not brought something with her to light her way. Her magic would not work properly here, and she did not know how to create a light source, or even if a light source could be created through blood magic. If she survived this, then she would be sure to ask somebody. She wondered if matches or flashlights worked in this world. Matches probably would. She would bring some next time; if there was a next time.

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she tripped over a fairly large object and landed on the hard craggy ground. She frowned as she felt the skin tear on her arms and elbows. A passage in the book, written by her ancestor, Bartholomew, suggested to land on the sides of the arms and elbows after falling instead of the hands; it would put less strain on the wrists, as well as assist in the prevention of weapon-loss. But, Bartholomew had also believed that he could sever the connection with his Servator, which ultimately killed them both. Grace was beginning to think that Bartholomew was full of it.

She sighed, pushing herself up to her knees and held her free hand out, blindly searching for something that might help guide her path. Her fingers grazed over soft material and she frowned. She pressed down and the object gave way slightly. She moved her hand further until her fingers met something warm and wet. She shuddered and withdrew her arm back to her body, standing quickly.

Grace took a few steps backwards, bringing her hand up to her face, to try and smell the substance. When that brought her no definitive answer, she tentatively let her tongue slide out of her mouth and touch her soiled fingers.

She made a face at the bitter coppery taste that assaulted her. It was blood. She gagged at the thought and wiped her hand on her trousers. That probably was not one of her better ideas.

Without preamble, something grabbed Grace's hair, ruthlessly wrenching her head and neck backwards.

She reacted immediately, twisting her body into the offender.

She turned the machete to a prostate position, plunging it forward as a blunt object.

As it made contact, the attacker released its hold on her hair.

Grace stepped forward, grinding her feet into the surface below her, before swinging again in the same fashion.

Before her arm was at its full extension, completing the blow, Grace was thrown backwards. The assailant had flung itself bodily into her.

She found herself once more on the ground. The back of her head collided with something very solid. Grace ignored the dull ache that brought tears to her eyes as she wrestled what she now assumed to be a vampire, given the fair amount of gargled snarling it was emitting. Of course, her weapon was lying useless somewhere in the darkness.

She managed to gain some advantage, rolling the vampire so that she was on top. She needed a weapon, something to detach the head, or at least something to destroy the brain. There was no time to fumble through her bag for a different weapon; she should not have let her machete escape her.

She threw punches, aimed at what she hoped was its head. Destitute of vision, she missed several times, hitting hard foreign objects. The tactic that was supposed to buy her some time did not work, the vampire brought his leg between them and delivered a strong kick to her abdomen. She fell backwards.

It was on her in an instant, its hand meeting her shoulder. Grace frowned, the deliverance was too soft to be a punch. She kicked up at the vampire, and it withdrew its hand, bringing it down lower, closer to her heart, with the same amount of force. Soon, she began to feel a dull throbbing in her shoulder that quickly escalated into pure pain. The vampire moved its fist again, near her throat. Immediately, her chest began to react the same way. Grace frantically twisted and thrust her body upwards, finally knocking the creature off of her. She brought her hand up to her chest, feeling the warm, wet blood that had started to collect there.

Grace realized that she had been stabbed as her body overcame its initial state of shock and succumbed to the tormenting ache.

She shuffled to her right, attempting to back away from the demon before it regained its balance. Her hands made contact with a fairly large rock and she grasped it. The rock must have been just a mite smaller than her head, jagged and cold. It could be just effective enough to be deadly.

The vampire was on her once more and she could feel her blood being drawn from her. She had seen this done before, vampires would use their magic to pull blood from their victims in ribbons through the air. But this was not purely for ceremonial use, Grace knew, he was going to use it against her. She felt the bloody ribbons harden as they began to twine around her body like a boa constrictor.

Grace threw herself into her attacker again, throwing her elbow, which was weighted by the rock and her other arm, into the vampire's body. As it fell backwards, she straddled the dark creature, and felt the blood turn back into its normal liquid state on her arms, no longer a threat to her. Bringing the small boulder between her hands above her head, she delivered the blow with as much force as she could. She could hear the sickening crack of the skull as the rock made contact. She repeated the the motion a second, a third, and a fourth time until the cracking noise turned into succulent squishing that was accompanied by only quiet crunching.

She felt her stomach churn as she stumbled back to her feet, still clutching the large, now blood-covered rock like a security blanket. She really did not like to kill that way; it was far too messy. She wished she knew where her machete was.

Before she could think of rummaging through her bag for a new weapon, she felt ropes fashioned from her own blood slithering around her again. Resounding profanity left Grace's mouth as she took every known deity's name in vain. Another vampire. Grace flailed into the moonless, starless night, but couldn't find her attacker. The ropes began tightening around her torso, binding her arms and she felt the dizzying effects of blood-loss. She wheezed, fighting for breath, and the rock fell to her feet.

Her legs were swept out from underneath her and she landed forcefully on her side. She groaned and laboriously rolled onto her back; she felt the pressure of the new attacker crawling onto her. She kicked incessantly, but it did not seem to impede the vampire. She could feel herself becoming weaker as more blood was drawn from her, tightening the binds.

Something was dripping onto her face, feeling very much like the drizzle that would signify a rainstorm's arrival. As fair as she knew, it did not rain in this realm. She turned her head to the side. She was struggling to breathe, her lungs burning as the pressure on her chest became increasingly tighter.

Light erupted into the skies as though Cruor Terra had suddenly obtained a sun. It did not assist Grace's blindness, at first, as the light was so intrusive, so abrupt, it only served to further hinder her sight.

Blinking through a haze of disequilibrium, Grace could vaguely make out the shapes in front of her. A vampire was hovering over her, its face ashen and wrinkled, as it leered down at her. In one hand, he held a pike aimed and ready to attack, in the other was the source of the dripping liquid. The lifeless eyes of Agmund's severed head stared an empty gaze at Grace.

Her stomach heaved again, bile rising to her throat. She tried to move, to kick, or thrust, or anything helpful, but the blood loss was too great. She felt weak, too weak to defend herself from the pike as the vampire plunged its length into her stomach. She felt a rib snap as the metal object passed through her. There was no pain; she suspected from shock. She watched more of her blood curl up the end of the pike, red ribbons contrasting the cool gray steel. Grace told herself, delirious and panicked, that she could not possibly die. She meant a great deal of importance to the future. This was not her fate. Grace wondered if her fate held the same meaning in this alternate world, if it was so immutable here. Grace wondered why she decided to meddle in a different realm, anyway, when her own would surely had plentiful evil to vanquish. She could not die yet; Death had his own plans for her. Was the Death she knew the same harbinger of souls in this world? She could not die.

As the blood met the demon's hand, soothing the decrepit skin and coloring its features once more, Grace's vision failed her. She felt a serene numbness. She felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion shroud her body in a blanket of warmth.

And then, as swift as the light had invaded the world, Grace felt as though she could breathe again. Her vitality was returned, stable once more. She blinked, opening her eyes, confused by the ceiling above her. She remained unmoving, the absence of the vampire, the pike, or any of the pain she had previously been feeling left her baffled and concerned.

"Thalavat wallas dillapis aliloint talaving," Agmund's voice came from somewhere in the materialized room.

Grace sat up quickly, startled. She gaped at the members of the Alliance, plagued by confusion. She was in the conference room, its walls solid and periwinkle in color. The large, dark wooden table in the middle of the room, in front of the window the Grace always thought was too wide, housed the Cruors that watched her carefully. Their faces were a coral pink in color and full of life; everybody's head was where it should be, firmly attached to their bodies.

Grace glanced down at her body; her clothes were still torn and bloody; her skin was still soiled; the wounds, save a few scrapes from falling, were missing.

"Wallivat...?" Grace asked, standing perhaps a bit too quickly. She was met with an uneasy feeling and she stumbled.

"Illavit wallas jolivust allava tellava alaest," Erik began, scribbling something down onto a piece of paper. "Talavou salallee hallivow efellect alivive yallavou wallavoud bilavee dallavur allaing allava durallaress calival."

"Yallavou dalivid pallavour allalie," added Rorerek, the smallest of the members.

Grace raised her eyebrows, feeling a bit used. Surely they did not have her face her own mortality for a test? Well, it was a much better than any simulation that she had every created; it was extremely realistic. She had only wished that they had given her a warning. She needed to learn blood magic. She needed to learn how to brew Morticaine and its antidote. She needed to figure out a way to get to Vicis. She needed to remember to bring some non-magical sources of light the next time she came to Cruor.

She pulled out a chair at the conference table and dropped herself heavily into it. She crossed her arms, frowning. She was not pleased.

Translations:

That was disappointing.

What?

It was just a test.

To see how effective you would be during a distress call.

You did poorly.

7:21 p.m.

Grace raced up the stairs to her room, mildly thankful that she had not encountered the marauders in her hurry. The door was pushed open with too much force, a loud bang resounding from its contact with the wall. Five surprised faces met her as she stepped through the threshold, where she decidedly stopped under the speculation.

"Grace, what happened?" Lily asked, concerned, as she was the first to recover from the shock.

Grace was aware of what her appearance may have reflected. She imagined that the blood on her skin and clothes was drying. She could feel its tightness on her own skin, as well as that of the mud and muck she had obtained from rolling around on the ground. Her hair must have been wild from sweat and dirt; she imagined that it was sticking up at every odd angle, frizzy and disheveled. The wild look of anxiety that had been etched across her features as she entered the room in such a hurry could not have helped her appearance.

She looked at her roommates, finding it particularly unusual that all of them were there at the same time, outside of getting ready for bed. Marlene was braiding Alice's hair, Lily had a book opened in her lap as she sat on the same bed, while Dorcas and her other roommate, Patrice, seemed to be in the middle of conversation, while sorting through an array of colorful clothing. For the moment, however, all eyes were on her. Marlene had even stilled her braiding, holding a clump of Alice's short hair in the frozen in the air.

"I, uhm...," Grace began, looking only at Lily. She hoped that Lily would be able to pick up on her excuse, now that the redhead knew of her secret. "Fell. Into the lake...with the Squid."

"Oh, this one!" Patrice exclaimed, holding up a shimmering black top and capturing Dorcas' attention again.

Grace released a breath of air and made her way over to her trunk to find some new clothes.

"You should be more careful, Pumpkin," Alice said. "The Giant Squid is kind of scary, with all of those tentacles." She shimmied her arms in the air, most likely trying to imitate the wavering movements of tentacles.

Marlene laughed and she proceeded to play with Alice's hair. "Unless, you know, you're into that kind of thing-"

"-Marlene!" Lily said, sounding offended. "That's terrible! Why do you always have to say things like that?"

Marlene shrugged, smirking. "Because I enjoy watching you squirm, Lils!" she said, playfully.

"I'm not even sure it's a squid, really," Grace said idly, distracted by gathering her things in a hurry, knowing she was encroaching tardiness. "I think it might be more of a Kraken, or something."

"Aren't they they same thing?" Alice asked.

Grace shrugged, beginning to make her way to the lavatory. "Not exactly, a regular old squid wouldn't be able to withstand the low water pressure near the top of the lake...nor would it be seen in daylight. And I'm not even going to mention that the lake is fresh water. Besides, from what I've seen, the students seem to feed it irregular foods that a squid would not be able to digest. I'm sticking with Kraken, especially since it has more of a resemblance to a crab-like octopus, than a squid."

Grace let the door fall shut behind her, and she lit a cigarette, leaving the girls to ponder her notion of the large creature that had made a home in the Black Lake. She ignored her reflection in the mirror, she did not want to see that right now. As she turned on the faucets to the bath, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Grace," came Lily's worried voice. "Can I come in?"

Sighing, she unlocked the door, letting the redhead in, sealing it once more after.

Lily had opened her mouth, but faltered as her eyes widened. "Grace, you can't smoke in here, I-"

"-Lily, please?" Grace asked, setting her cigarette down on the edge of the sink to undress. "Please reprimand me later, I'm really in a hurry."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "In a hurry to go to a tutoring session with Severus Snape?"

Grace shrugged, pulling her stained sweatshirt over her head. She hoped that the grease and blood would come out. The orange one was her favorite, she wore it all the time. "Well, I like our studying to go over smoothly and his attitude seems to get worse with every minute I'm late. I mean, last time I was all of two fucking minutes late and he used his disappointed-stern-scary voice to-"

Grace trailed off as she looked at Lily again. She let the smile slide off of her face under the rigid expression Lily was giving her, her arms folded across her chest.

"So, right, being late isn't exactly a good thing," she concluded, avoiding Lily's eyes.

Lily decided to change the subject as Grace took one last drag of her cigarette. "Where were you, really?"

"Well, I have a job to do, you know? So, I was doing that and got a little messed up. I was so goddamn distracted, though. It was stupid really, I should have been more focused." Grace left out the specific details. So far, all that Lily really knew about Grace's secret was that she killed evil beings for peoples' protection.

Lily nodded, shifting uncomfortably. She turned around so that Grace could finish undressing in privacy. "Was Remus there with you?" Lily asked nonchalantly.

Grace froze after tugging her shirt over her head. She cleared her throat and sputtered, "N-no, of course, not. What makes you think that he would be?"

"Well, I mean, from what I've gathered from your book, and from watching the two of you, I can only imagine that he would be your... Oh, what was the word? Servator?"

Stopping herself from squeaking in surprise, Grace spun around to face Lily's back. "My Servator? Nope, definitely not. He would have to be a-"

"Werewolf?" Lily finished for her.

Grace choked, a small sound escaping her. "Uhm, yeah, right. And Remus-"

"-is a werewolf," the redhead concluded again. Lily chuckled quietly while Grace gaped at her back. "It's okay, I've known for a few years now. Actually, it was really obvious if anybody had taken some time to research werewolves at all. Honestly, the boy gets sick every full moon ever since he's come to Hogwarts. Curious, right?"

"H-how?" Grace managed, still trying to wrap her head around Lily's keen observations.

She laughed again. "It's okay, I haven't told anybody. I can imagine that he's trying to keep it a secret."

Grace didn't respond. She only blinked and began unbuttoning her trousers, hoping that Lily would decide to end the conversation after her revelation about her knowledge.

"So, how's his training coming along, then?" Lily asked idly. "I mean, I can only assume that he would want to learn how to control his transformations. I didn't even know that was possible, actually. And you two seem to be awfully close lately. It must be nice to know who your 'true love' is and have a special connection with him."

"Well," Grace said, offhandedly. "He's not my true love, but it is nice to feel close to somebody. But, he's not exactly thrilled to be my Servator, anyway. He doesn't want to... Wait, Lily, how much of that book did you read?"

"A bit... and then maybe a bit more. I've kind of been sneaking peaks at your book while you've been sleeping. I figured out the charm to unlock your trunk." She turned back to face Grace. "I know I shouldn't have, but you don't ever want to talk about it and I was curious and..." she trailed off, looking at Grace's stomach. "What happened? What is that?"

Grace blanched as she struggled to cover up the lion and the snake, unfazed about being seen in her underwear in her distraction. "Er... tattoos. You know, for school spirit? Go Hogwarts!" she finished, less-than-enthusiastically. She turned to check the temperature of the water in the bath.

"Those don't look like... they look like scars, Grace."

"Lily I would love to have this conversation with you, but I really have to worry now. I'm going to be late," Grace said, trying to keep her voice conversational, so as not to offend Lily.

"Why are you so anxious to spend time with him, anyway?"

"Who?"

"Severus."

"I'm not," Grace defended, instantly. "I just don't like being late."

"We used to..." Lily began. "We were... look he's not a very good person anymore. The people he hangs out with, they're... I don't think that you understand-"

"-Lily, Professor Slughorn assigned him as my tutor. It's not like I made that decision on my own." Grace gave Lily a smile. "Don't worry about me, Lily. I fight demons for a living. I'm sure one grumpy teenager can't give me a run for my money. Well, two grumpy teenagers, if you're counting Regulus. He's still a bit angry with me for the whole closet thing."

"You're studying with Regulus Black as well?"

"No, but he does seem to be around a bit more often now. Trying to hex me and all."

8:03 p.m.

Grace slid down into a chair next to Severus. The library was fairly abandoned, with the exception of a few students scattered about in a silent array of studying and homework-bound intentions. The lighting was comfortable, gently contrasting the dark night shrouding the windows.

"You're late again," Severus said darkly, not looking up from his book.

"Dammit."

Severus turned a page saying, "We should get started, before you waste any more of my time."

Grace pressed her lips together, fighting back the urge to make an excuse, or try to justify her tardiness in any way. She pulled her potions book from her bag, watching him out of the corner of her eye. Something was different. She inhaled, noticing the sweet smell of peaches. She turned to face him again, wondering why in the world he would smell like peaches.

His lengthy hair fell gently around the sides of his face. It looked as if it had been washed; it looked soft and glossy and actually had a bit of body to it. The difference from its normally unkempt, lank appearance was striking. Grace mildly wondered why she hadn't noticed it before.

In a dazed moment, she reached out to touch it. Her fingertips grazed his dark, silky strands before his head snapped in her direction. Her hand recoiled back to her body just as quickly. "You, uhm, washed your hair..." Grace said.

His onyx eyes flashed an emotion before hardening back into their typical glare. Grace swore that it was a look of being hurt, but could not be sure.

Grace swallowed, shrinking slightly under his intense gaze. "I -I mean you smell nice... uhm... and your hair... er... is soft and..." Grace stopped herself as he continued to stare at her, unwavering. She felt her anxiety begin to lessen, as she was lost herself in the inky charcoal depths of his eyes. "Your eyes are lovely," she managed.

Severus blinked at her before finally turning away. "Potter... do shut up."

"Right," Grace said, opening her textbook. "So, the Draught of Peace, then?"

Severus sighed, "Yes, for the past two weeks. Just, do your homework and try not to bother me unless you have any legitimate questions."

Grace nodded, and gathered her writing supplies, not entirely looking forward to starting her homework assignment. It was a paper on the Draught, including its effects and so on. Grace frowned, already bored with her assignment. She understood the concept, she just had not been able to brew anything properly. Perhaps she could convince Slughorn to have Severus give her brewing lessons instead. For now, all she wanted to do was talk to Severus. He was still a person of great mystery to her. Apart from his snide remarks, and brief explanations concerning potions, they had never really had a true conversation. She would work on the essay later, certain that she could finish it before tomorrow's class.

"So," Grace said in an attempt to break up some of the silence. "What is the Draught of Peace?"

Severus made an irritated noise. "Potter, please tell me you're not that stupid. We have been over this and the answer is in the first few sentences in the book's chapter."

"Grace," she said.

"What?"

"Stop calling me by my last name. It makes me feel like you're imagining spending time with my brother," she said, watching him. "You know, instead of me. And, given your relationship with him, I think that it might do us both some good if you separate me from him," she finished weakly, as he had turned to glare at her again, during her brief bout of bravery.

"I don't see much of a difference, actually," he spat. "Your both arrogant, pig-headed, and have the intelligence level of a newt."

Grace did not know what the where a newt fell on the spectrum of intelligence, but she was sure it was meant to be an insult. She frowned. "I know he acts like a complete asshole around you, but he does have good qualities too."

Severus' lip curled in disgust, so Grace quickly continued.

"And I'm not like him, you know," she said. "I've just met him, even."

"Potter-"

"-Grace," she interrupted.

He sighed, heavily. "Grace?"

"Yes?" she asked, happy that she had made a little progress, as trivial as it may have seemed.

"Stop talking."

"Oh," Grace muttered, her mood swiftly changing to downtrodden. "Right."

She sighed, feeling a bit defeated and turned back to her book. After reading just a few lines, she began to feel anxious again, wanting to repair her chance at speaking with Severus.

"Do you want to do something else?" she asked, suddenly. "This is boring and the library is kind of musky."

Severus dropped his quill, turning to her in frustration. "Potter, why in Merlin's name would I want to do anything at all with you? You're an annoying, frustrating twit who doesn't know when to shut up. It's no wonder everybody thinks that you are a freak. And I don't know if you realize what you are getting yourself into, hanging around that Lupin. Maybe you should ask your precious brother about his pet's secrets before you get yourself killed."

With that, he gathered his books and left Grace to bear the weight of his words. She silently watched him leave, wishing that she could think of anything to say to get him to come back. Or, at least, she wished there was something that she could do to change his mind.

Grace frowned. Did Severus have knowledge of Remus' lycanthropy as well? But that thought was being pushed aside by an emotional thrust that she did not quite understand. Severus seemed to strongly dislike being around her. Actually, she was almost entirely sure that he hated her.

8:41 p.m.

Grace knocked on the door to the marauders' dormitory. A habit she had gotten into after seeing both Sirius and Peter practically naked last week, when she had rushed in to see Remus after a long day. She had been expecting everybody to be fully clothed, but apparently the two boys had a rough day as well. The solution to that was obvious, to lounge around in their underwear, according to Sirius, anyway. She would not make that mistake again.

"Come in," James' voice came from beyond the door.

She turned the handle and pushed against the wood until it gave way. Glancing at the boys seated on the floor around a game of Exploding Snap, she numbly made her way into the room. She did not know why Severus' words were affecting her so much; she was used to being called names, especially a freak. She just wanted to be around Remus right now. He would make her feel better.

Sirius was laughing. "You're back early. Snivelly not show?"

Peter was quick to fall into a bout of laughter.

"That was awfully rude of him," James said, as one of the cards popped as it exploded. "We spent a lot of time getting him ready."

Grace froze on her journey over to Remus and looked at her brother, curiously. He had begun laughing as well.

The guilt that Remus was suddenly feeling did not slip by her either.

"What did you do?" Grace asked quietly.

"We gave the slimy git a bath," Sirius chortled. "Thought it would have helped you concentrate, if he wasn't dripping grease all over the place."

"W-we used p-peach-scented shampoo!" Peter managed to say through his giddy guffawing.

Grace turned back to Remus, her temper slipping to dangerous levels. She could feel his concern radiating from his body.

"What happened, Grace?" he asked.

She was torn between shouting and crying. She wanted to leave, before she lost her demeanor and... she needed to find something evil to kill. If anything, it might help relieve her tension. Remus' concern grew with every second she stood there, less than a foot away from him. In a desperate attempt to soothe the whirlwind of emotions that she was currently feeling, she practically threw herself into Remus.

She found herself crying again. She could not remember a time when she had cried as much as she had been recently. Remus' arms made their way around her and she buried her face into his chest. Grace inhaled, hoping that his closeness would bring her some comfort. She couldn't seem to control her breath and soon, she was sobbing as Remus stroked her hair. She could not make out the words he was saying, but his voice was gentle as he attempted to calm her.

"What did he do?" Grace vaguely heard James demand. "Greasy bastard will pay for-"

She could not hear the end of his sentence as she tried to open her mouth to respond. Grace feared what he would do to Severus if she did not diminish his theory that Severus did something to her. He had hurt her feelings, but Grace could not find a logical reason for her extreme reaction. She hated herself for being so overcome to the point where, when she attempted to speak, all that came out was a strangled noise that Grace could not recognize as her own. She needed to calm herself.

"Don't do anything rash," Remus said to James, still holding onto Grace as she curled further into him. "We don't even know what is wrong with her yet, or if it has anything to do with Snape."

Grace attempted to take deep breaths, trying to ground herself. She let her eyes remain closed, they felt heavy anyway. She focused her mind on Remus. The warmth he expelled, the spice of his aroma, the soft flocculence of his jumper, and the preservation of his grasp could bring her some tranquility, if she only let it. She knew that, but her mind seemed to be clouded with indiscernible emotions. She needed to fixate her attentions elsewhere, on Remus.

"She was going to meet him," Sirius spat. "And then she comes back like that. You know, crying and clinging... What else could have possible happened?"

Peter decided to speak up as well, although it took Grace by surprise that he was rationalizing. "Well," he said. "I-I mean, it might not have been... He m-might not have even shown up after what we did to him. Besides, she's a d-demon slayer, so she probably could have taken Snape on, if he did try anything."

Grace realized that she had stopped sobbing as she felt hatred towards Peter for being logical. Why did he have to be the only one, other than Remus, to be using ratiocination.

She pulled back from Remus slightly, sniffling, but did not completely let go of him. She was not sure if her strange mood had stabilized back to a state of normalcy. She also was not sure when exactly she had crawled onto his lap, curling inwards like a child.

"Are you alright, now?" Remus asked.

Grace nodded. She noticed that the other three boys had stood up in their conversation, and were now towering over the Grace and Remus on the floor.

"Did Snivellous do something to you?" James asked, his voice still bordering harsh.

"No," Grace said in a small voice, resting her head on Remus' shoulder. He was comfortable.

"See?" Remus said. "Now, would you all just sit back down and relax?"

Sirius snorted, reassuming his previous position on the floor. "Wanker probably deserves to be hexed, anyway."

"Moony, isn't it going to be kind of hard playing the game with my sister in your lap," James asked, dropping down as well.

Remus chuckled, but Grace was refusing to move. She still was not convinced that she was alright. She felt Remus rub her back in reassurance.

"What happened, Grace?" James asked, sounding a bit concerned.

Grace did not respond, she was not sure exactly had happened.

Peter asked, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

After a moment, Grace said, "Nope."

"Are you going to let Moony play cards with us?" Sirius asked, a hint of humor in his tone.

Grace sighed. She really did not want to move for the time being. She was perfectly satiated with her current position, safe and warm, and could not pick anything up from Remus that she was bothering him. "No," she said weakly.

"So, you're not going to tell us what's wrong with you," James began. "And you're going to... what? Cling to Moony there, the rest of the night?"

"...yup."

"I don't think she's being very reasonable," Sirius muttered.

Remus shifted slightly. "I think," he began. "That she's suffering from a case of teenage girl." He patted Grace on the shoulder. "Do you want to go for a walk? I don't have patrol for a while, still."

Grace considered it for a moment. She was really satisfied with the idea of not ever moving again, but sensed that it was quickly becoming awkward for the others. She also wanted to know what a 'case of teenage girl' was. She groaned in discontent before answering. "Okay..."

September 19

4:50 a.m.

Grace could feel Remus' contentment from her dormitory. It had not taken very long, it seemed, for her to be able to extend their connection across a distance. She wondered if he would be able to to sense her, as well, from this distance. She also wondered what he was doing awake so early in the morning. He seemed to be enjoying himself.

She stretched out in her bed, feeling more relaxed now, than the day before. Perhaps her day had just been too stressful, between thinking that she was going to die and Severus' harsh words. Remus had made her feel much better, though. She had not been ready to talk about her emotions, because even she could not interpret what was causing them. Instead, they strolled along the corridors in idle conversation, enjoying the company. There was something that comforting about Remus' presence, which Grace assumed had something to do with their connection. He had even kept her company when he returned from his patrol that night, while she finished her essay.

Deciding that she would see why he was awake, Grace slipped out of bed and wandered to the marauders' dormitory, still donning her pajamas.

His curtains were drawn around his bed, as were the other boys', when she entered. She had come to the verdict that it was not necessary to knock this time, fearing she would wake the others. Surely they would not be running about in their boxers at this time of day.

Grace pushed the curtains back slightly, only then feeling a bit concerned for his privacy. It was not as if she could have knocked on his curtain effectively.

Remus jumped and Grace chuckled quietly at the scene before her. Remus was seated, legs angled so that the book in his lap was cradled perfectly. In one hand he held his wand, lighting the text. In the other, he had a bar of chocolate. Grace decided that a light and chocolate were much better things to be holding than a pike and a severed head.

"Grace," he said quietly, not hiding his surprise. "Is everything alright?"

She smiled. "Yeah," she said, careful to keep the volume of her voice low, matching his. "I just, er, well I kind of knew that you were awake... And that you were happy, so I thought I would... actually, I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing here now..." Grace suddenly felt foolish for disturbing him. She wished she had just left to train instead.

Remus smiled. "Do you want to sit?" he offered, shifting over to make more room.

Grace accepted his offer with some reluctance. She did not sense any annoyance or discomfort, only steadfast contentment. She leaned back against the headboard, watching Remus return to his book, taking a bite of chocolate as he did.

"What are you reading?" she asked after a moment.

"Oh, well..." There was a mild stir of emotions as he paused to find words. "I wanted to do some reading on our... situation. And, erm, James mention that you said that Merlin was actually a Trucido... so I thought that I would read some of his biographies to see if..." He trailed off, feeling uncomfortable.

Grace laughed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "You could have asked."

"I guess, I just still didn't understand, after you showed me what was in your book."

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't-I don't know," he said, shutting his book. He set it on his nightstand, along with his chocolate bar. "I'm still not sure that I want... I..."

Grace wrapped one of her arms around the front of him, trying to relieve some of his growing frustration. "It's okay," she assured him. "We don't have to talk about it." In his warmth, he felt herself growing tired again and she stifled a yawn. "And I should really get to training, anyway." She pulled away from him, smiling.

He returned it and nodded. "Have fun."

"Get some sleep, okay?"


	10. Argumentative

**September 19th**

 _7:09 a.m._

"Are you excited to start looking for Unicorn horns on Monday?" Peter asked from across the table.

Grace could not help but smile at Peter's enthusiasm. He was a nice boy, she had decided, despite what his follies would be in the future. There could be no harm in humoring him. Grace was not actually sure what he was doing alone in the Great Hall in the first place; she rarely saw him without one of the other Marauders. Then again, Peter wasn't exactly alone. Grace was there with him.

"I suppose," she said. "Are you still upset with me for picking that one?"

Pushing his eggs around on his plate, Peter shrugged, saying, "Well, it wouldn't have hurt if you had picked something easier. Like syrup of Hellebore."

"Most of the class was already doing that," Grace responded, simply. She stabbed at her toasted bread before deciding that the tea in her cup looked more inviting.

"Exactly! Because Hellebore is everywhere in the Forbidden Forest." A worried expression suddenly crossed Peter's face. "How are we even supposed to get the Unicorn horns? Unicorns are supposedly very shy creatures and I doubt that they would be very willing to let us cut a piece of their horn off..."

Grace laughed, choking on her tea. "Fuck, Peter...we aren't going to go around cutting the horns off of Unicorns."

Peter gave her a wry smile. "Says the girl who thinks that it is okay to erase people's memories all willy-nilly."

"Willy-nilly?" Grace questioned with a smile. Without skipping a beat she offered him a rebuttal, saying, "Says the boy who thinks that it is okay to enlarge people's body parts."

Snorting, Peter responded, "Touche." He appeared to be in thought for a moment, as if considering the two events. "Actually ours was a prank, and it was funny at that. You were erasing memories...how many memories have you erased, anyway?"

Grace drank more of her tea, avoiding Peter's question. "So I decided since I got us into the Unicorn horn mess," Grace stated after swallowing. "That I would be responsible and do some research."

Peter waited for her to continue as Grace beamed at him.

Obviously he was not understanding that Grace had done research, which was something that she really did not want to do. She had a significant amount to deal with currently and she was very proud of herself for investing the time to actually read up on the creature. Grace's smile turned into a grimace. At least she had a legitimate reason to be annoyed with Peter now.

Grace sighed. "Their horns break now and again," she mumbled, dejectedly. "So we can probably find some pieces buried under the ground coverings in the forest."

Peter raised his eyebrows. "You have worse mood swings than Remus during his time of the month," he muttered in a low voice.

Without warning, Grace flung a piece of toast at the watery-eyed boy.

He squeaked in surprise before casting Grace a resentful look. "Still having issues with your attitude?"

Grace glared at him, stubbornly refusing to respond.

"Here," he said, passing her an open bag of red candies. "You need something to sweeten you up."

The cheerfulness in his voice caused Grace's mood to lighten slightly. She felt bad for throwing food at him, but she still eyed the bag of candy suspiciously. She realized that she could not distance herself from him for trivial reasons without raising speculations from the other marauders. It was in the best interest of her secrets to try to get on with a boy; Peter was really endearing at times.

"What did you do to them?" she asked, a bit of her previous playfulness returning to her voice. "No wait, don't tell me. They dye my skin different colors. Or maybe they'll force me to speak a different language all day."

Peter scoffed indignantly. "Do you really think that I would try to prank you Grace?" he asked in a whimsically offended tone. He dropped the bag between them, leaving it up to Grace to decide whether or not she wanted the candy.

Grace raised and eyebrow at him, unable to resist smirking at his impish joking.

"'Sides," he said, shoveling a few too many pieces of fried tomato in his mouth. "James would hex me to oblivion if I messed with you. And Remus may eats me, for that matter."

Before Grace could assure Peter that Remus would most definitely not consume him, an owl swooped passed Grace, startling her as it dropped a letter in front of her. The handwriting instantly threw her into a pleasant state of excitement; Anne had written to her.

She quickly opened the letter, excited to hear from her friend, and read:

 _Lovely,_

 _I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you,_

 _but I couldn't catch your stupid fucking bird._

 _Honestly, I don't know why you can't use the_

 _mail, like everybody else in the world!_

 _Making a fool out of yourself again? Maybe_

 _you were right and I should have come along_

 _with you, if only to keep out out of trouble!_

 _I know it has been awhile since you wrote,_

 _so I'm hoping things are looking up by_

 _now! Fill me in!_

 _Next time, send a different bird! This one_

 _was going to be my lunch if it didn't stop_

 _keeping me up at night with its damn noises!_

 _It made a nest above my bed in the loft! Don't_

 _send it again._

 _Good news, though! I might get to see you_

 _sooner than you think! I should be out of here_

 _by the end of the year! Since I really have_

 _nothing keeping me here, and I can't stand to be_

 _an entire ocean away from you for much longer,_

 _I've decided to move your way when I graduate!_

 _But I can't remember exactly where that is, so_

 _send that too._

 _Write me soon! I need my bestie!_

 _I miss you like the moon!_

 _Love always,_

 _Anne_

Grace found herself missing her best friend again. Part of what brought them together was the same connection that Remus fought against. In all actuality, the connection was not the same. Remus was her Servator; Grace felt what he felt. Anne was just a werewolf; Grace could sense her general mood and was drawn to her. But, then again, Anne wasn't just a werewolf; she was Grace's best friend for years. Grace wished that she was here now where Anne would already be caught up on what was going on in Grace's life, and would be there to make her feel better.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder, Grace was pulled from her thoughts as Remus sat down beside her. Grace frowned, she had not been able to sense him as she had been wrapped up in her own thoughts and feelings. Now, as she was brought back into reality, she could feel his concern and four pairs of eyes on her. She dropped the letter to the table to glance around at the marauders at the table.

"Okay?" Remus asked.

Grace nodded, offering him a smile. "Yeah, fine."

"Peter was having a conversation with himself when we showed up," James said nonchalantly, piling some food on his plate. "Interesting post?"

"Just a letter from Anne," Grace said lightly. "Sorry, Peter. I've been waiting to hear from her."

He shrugged. "I was having a pretty interesting conversation without you, anyway."

Grace smiled.

Remus removed his hand from her shoulder, but continued to watch her. "Your friend from the other school?"

"Uhm, yeah, that's Anne." Grace glanced down at the letter on the table, feeling regretable that she had caused Remus to worry. "I just miss her," she said quickly, trying to dampen his uneasiness.

He nodded, but the sinking feeling, the unsure feeling that had been lying dormant beneath his concern, did not falter. He looked away from her.

"You going to see her over the Holidays?" Peter asked.

Before Grace could respond, unsure if she would be capable of seeing Anne, James said, "Actually, I was hoping that you would want to come home. I mean, to my house...er, our house? Meet Mum and Dad?"

Grace had not considered meeting her parents, it seemed like something she was not achievable. She had developed a few protection and concealment charms, for when she was outside of Noctars and Hogwarts' own protection, but she was not sure just how confident she was in them. Going 'home', as James had said, could put her family at risk. She could not stop neither the excitement that bubbled within her as she thought about seeing her parents nor the uncertainty that jabbed her insides.

"I...," Grace began, as the disappointment settled in. "I don't know if that's a good idea," she said solemnly.

James stared at her carefully. "I wrote to them," he said. "Told them that you were here."

"What'd they say?" Grace asked, quickly. The idea of her parents wanting to see her made her smile.

James laughed. "I've just written them this morning."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Well, maybe if I speak with Albus, and he thinks its okay and-and our parents want to see me...then maybe..."

"Cool," James said, smiling. "It'll be fun, Sirius will be there and Remus will be over on Christmas day. Hey Pete, your parents still making you go on holiday with them-"

Whatever else James was saying, and what Peter had to say in response, had gone unnoticed by Grace as she locked eyes with Severus across the room. He watched her curiously for a fraction of a second before looking away again. Grace blinked, wondering why he was watching her. She assumed that he had been looking in that general direction when she looked up and that their eyes met under natural circumstances. Grace frowned.

Her attention was brought back to Remus, when she felt his emotions spill farther downward. "Everything alright?" she asked.

He nodded, but his emotions remained where they were. "Good. Great, actually."

"Okay," Grace said, turning her attention back to her tea. "You know, it's a little early in the month to be having mood swings."

Remus did not find this as humorous as Grace intended it to be.

"I've gotta go," he muttered, getting up to leave.

"Hey wait-"

"-Don't worry about it, Grace, I'll go," Peter said, cutting her off.

She glanced at James, confused.

He shrugged. "I'll go, too," he said, following after his two friends.

Grace turned her attention to Sirius, waiting him to leave as well.

He grinned at her.

"You're not going?"

He shrugged. "He's fine."

Grace narrowed her eyes. "You're staying to make sure I don't follow him."

"Maybe," Sirius laughed.

She frowned, glancing into her teacup which had refilled itself. She pushed it away from her. "I didn't mean to upset him. I'm actually not really sure what I did..."

Sirius gave her a long, calculating look. "Or what you're doing," he said lightly.

"What?"

He shook his head, innocently muttering, "I didn't say anything."

"What?" Grace asked again.

Sirius raised his eyebrows, titling his head forward slightly. "What?"

Grace glanced over his shoulder to where Severus had been sitting, but he was not there.

"You know," she said after returning to Sirius. "Peter's much better at talking to me about Remus than you are."

He raised his eyebrows, chuckling. "I didn't know we were supposed to be talking about Remus."

"You were implying something."

"Was I?"

"Yes."

"Hmm."

Grace rolled her eyes. "I'm going to Runes."

 _12:37 pm_

Grace lounged by the Black Lake, enjoying the way the sun shimmered off of the water. Her schoolbooks were spread around her as she lay sprawled on her back, but she was not doing her homework. The gentle majestic ripples in the water, spurred by a teasing breeze that danced along the glossy surface, held her attention. She found it effortless to become distracted in trivial beauty; her mind would cease its dizzying racing, allowing her to forget about everything that plagued her. Homework and studying never captured her attention this way so it lay neglected, nestled in the damp grass. She would finish it later. Today was turning out to be a decent day. Remus had apologized to her before class, though she only received an excuse that he was not feeling well. She knew he was lying, but decided to let it go. Lily had asked if Grace would continue their conversation from the day before later that evening. Grace had agreed, knowing she would figure out just what information she would choose to divulge and what she would not by the time that arrived. It was a lecture day in Defense Against the Dark Arts, so the students did not have to sit with their partners, meaning that Grace was not under Severus' speculations. Otherwise, it had been a fairly quiet day and she did not want anything to disrupt whatever in the universe that was allowing it. She would lay low for the day, avoiding any conflict that she could.

She felt Remus this time as he approached. He seemed to be in a much better mood than earlier, so she was happy to receive the company. She sat up quickly, grinning as he reached her. She did not miss his surprise at her mood but he covered it with a smile of his own.

"Not hungry?" he asked, coming to sit down beside her.

Grace responded, cheekily, "Is that why your out here, to make sure I'm getting my nutrition?" She nudged him playfully with her elbow. "Actually, I need to catch up on some homework."

"Mhm...and how's that going?" His tone was light and knowing.

"Not so great," she admitted.

With a laugh, he shrugged. "I can help you later tonight, if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah, sure. It's not a problem."

Grace wrapped her arms around him suddenly, extremely enthusiastic and relieved that he would help her. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, gratefully. At least Remus would not be crass with her; Severus always managed to make her feel like a child, being reprimanded for something they had no participation in.

The whirl of emotions Remus felt made her stomach flutter pleasantly. She understood, for the first time, why people described the feelings as "butterflies". She buried her face in the soft fabric of his vest, enjoying the chills that ran the length of her spine when Remus slowly let his own arm coil around her back. It was much better than studying, Grace decided, to remain stationary in Remus' embrace while she rode waves of pleasant emotions. She was not certain who they originated from, or if they were elicited from both of them, but she did not care today.

Grace was not entirely sure what to make of the new emotions and sensations generated from Remus' fingers tracing the gentle curve of her hip through the fabric of her blouse, or from the way he rested his chin the top of her head, pulling her closer to him. Her heart-rate accelerated when he traced her jawline with feathery touches, guiding her face up to meet his gaze. She almost stopped breathing all together when her eyes finally locked onto his. His golden-brown irises had darkened, pushed back by widened pupils, almost consuming the brown completely. She subconsciously licked her lips, trying to remember to breathe under his intense smoldering gaze.

Unwanted thoughts berated her mind, telling her that the feelings they were having were not acceptable. She tried to push out images of the young woman with the coral pink hair that would receive Remus' attention some years from now. She tried to forget the fact that the look he was giving Grace would not belong to her for long. She fought with the thought of Severus' eyes, an image that she could not shake. She found herself comparing their eyes, the shape, the color, the intensity.

The sinking feeling within her reminded that she needed to breathe again. She wanted to ignore everything her mind told her, and relish in the moment as it was, trying to sort out pleasant feelings. She realized that that sinking feeling may not have solely belonged to her as Remus pulled away, releasing her entirely.

The butterflies were killed off by her feeling of guilt. She was being selfish, trying to cling to what brought her own pleasure and neglecting fate and her objectives. She wondered if she overstepped boundaries with Remus again; she was thoroughly confused by them and where he drew lines.

Remus cleared his throat after moving enough of a distance to put a significant gap between them. "So," he began rather bitterly. "When are you planning on telling me?"

Grace furrowed her brow, still dizzy from Remus' touch, trying to remember if there was anything that she was supposed to tell him. "I don't...what are you talking about?"

His frustration peaked and he looked away from her. Evidently, the grass was more interesting and he began plucking individual blades from the earth. "James said that you... Er, he said that you met your...true love, or soul-mate or whatever."

Blinking, Grace attempted to analyze his dejected feelings. "Well, yeah." She felt uncomfortable when he turned to her with an expectant gaze, waiting for her to continue. She did not know what else she was supposed to say, or why it mattered. "I, uhm, don't know what you want," she said, finally.

Although his face remained fairly stoic, Grace winced at the hazy blizzard of emotions that captured him. "You love him, then?" he asked quietly.

Stopping herself from laughing, Grace raised her eyebrows. "No," she said. "He has been particularly unpleasant. I'm not sure how that whole thing is supposed to work."

"Right," Remus said, standing. "So next time you need to cry on somebody's shoulder, maybe try going to him."

His biting tone threw Grace, but she stood to stop him from walking away from her. "What is your problem?" she demanded.

His eyes widened and he cast her an incredulous, exasperated look. He opened his mouth a few times, as if failing to find the right words to say. Grace was clearly missing something and she did not understand his sudden mood swing. "You...we...," he stopped again, agitation driving his mind. "Do you have any idea...?"

Grace reached out to touch his arm, trying to be comforting, as her mind raced in confusion.

"Don't," he seethed, pulling away from her. "Why are you doing this?"

"What the fuck am I doing?" Grace demanded. She tried to even out her tone, feeling that speaking bitterly would not get her anywhere. "I don't understand, Remus," she said a bit more softly.

Remus laughed, humorlessly. "Of course not. I don't think you understand anything beyond what that book tells you."

Grace's temper flared. "What are you talking about?"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to suddenly have to share emotions with somebody? To keep receiving particularly confusing emotions that keep changing and then...and then you'll look at me that way and..."

Grace raised an eyebrow. "Yeah...I do know what that's like," she muttered.

"And then you refuse to tell me what's wrong with you," he continued as if he did not hear her. "Even though, clearly something is wrong. You're soul mate is Snape, of all people, but you-"

"-how did you know that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Grace!" he snapped. "But you keep coming to me...and you'll hug me and you almost kiss me and then you start feeling guilty, like you shouldn't-"

"-You're the one who came out here to find me," Grace snapped, cutting him off. Her temperament was getting the better of her again. "And you're the one with all of the confusing emotions, so don't try to blame me for them. For fuck's sake, I wasn't going to kiss you! Maybe if you stop confusing me-"

"-Right, it's my fault that you can't seem to get your feelings straight. If your bloody book tells you that you should be snogging Snape then maybe you shouldn't-"

"-You don't know what the fuck you're talking about-"

"-Like you ever do-"

"-Severus doesn't even like me-"

"-And yet you still insist that he's supposed to be your soul mate-"

"-I never insisted anything-"

"-Then why feel guilty?"

Grace clenched her teeth, trying not to give into the temptation to push Remus into the lake behind him. "I didn't ask for any of this!" she growled. "I didn't fucking ask to be a Trucido, or to have a Servator who thinks that he has feelings for me, or a true love who fucking hates me. And I'm pretty fucking sure that he's in love with Lily! I didn't want any of it! I didn't fucking want to be taken away from my parents and locked in some institution; I didn't want to have a stupid fucking connection with werewolves; I didn't want to have to see the fucking future or be involved in a stupid fucking war in a different goddamned world or try to figure out how to not die from fucking Morticaine. I don't want to want to have to worry about changing fucking everything around me and disrupting fucking fate because apparently that will only make things worse! I don't want to have to worry about schoolwork and try to fucking kill vampires in my spare time. I don't want to fucking have feelings for you when I am supposed to fall in love with someone else, and I don't want to fucking know anymore about the pink-haired lady and gods I don't want to see you kissing her ever fucking time you touch me. I don't fucking want to worry about going to see my parents or going into the fucking forest because I'll get everybody fucking killed and I don't want to fucking have to keep secrets from absolutely everybody. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do with the war..." Grace stopped, her mind reeling as she watched Remus' confused expression. She tried to remember what she had just said, feeling her stomach churn.

"Grace, what are you talking about?"

"Oh gods," Grace managed in a strained voice. "I don't know, I-I just lost my temper...I don't know what I'm talking about." She didn't look at him, but already knew that he did not believe her. "P-potions," she stuttered. "I've got to get to class."

"Wait, wait," Remus said firmly. He gently held onto her upper arms to stop her from leaving. "You don't have class for another hour." He held onto her a bit more firmly when she moved to escape again. "Just wait! Would you just talk to me?"

"You don't want to talk about any of it, remember?"

He sighed heavily. "Grace, tell me what you're talking about, for Merlin's sake! Morticaine? Visions? I don't even know anybody with pink hair, Grace!"

Grace felt her carefully constructed world begin to crumble around her. "I can't fucking tell you!"

"You kind of already have!"

"Just leave me alone," Grace demanded, tearing away from him.

"Grace-"

"-Leave me alone! Just...go away!"

Grace was trying to pick her books from the ground, shoving them carelessly into her bag. Remus was not leaving.

"Grace," he said again, gingerly.

"Go away!"

"Grace-"

She turned around, seething. She had lost her control; she had said things that she was not supposed to divulge. She could not be around Remus right now. She could not explain anything to him. "Leave me alone."

"Would you please just talk to me? That's all I'm asking-"

"-I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to be around you. I don't want to see you," she said, returning to her books. She felt tears pricking her eyes. "Go away."

She felt his hand on her shoulder. "Grace, please-"

"Stop!" she interjected, spinning around to face him again. "What part of 'go away' and 'leave me alone' don't you fucking get?"

She ignored the hurt that was quickly constraining his chest.

"You're acting childish," he said, after a moment.

"Go fuck yourself-"

"-Grace!"

"Fucking hell, Remus! You said it yourself, you don't like the way I make you feel. And I don't like the way you make me feel. Do us both a favor and leave me the hell alone! Gods and you fucking think that I'm overbearing!" She stopped, bile rising to her throat as his pain increased. "Maybe you were right, we shouldn't be friends."

"Why are you acting like this?" he asked after a moment.

Grace sat down, feeling disoriented, and buried her face in her hands. "I don't know," she admitted, her voice muffled.

Sighing, Remus joined her on the ground, putting an arm around her back. "I'm sorry for getting angry with you," he said quietly. "I didn't mean..."

Grace leaned into him, her emotions, or his emotions, still riding the roller-coaster. "I'm sorry, too. I don't want you to go away."

"I don't understand any of this."

"Me neither," she said, dropping her hands dramatically. "I thought I did, but I guess I really don't. My handbook doesn't cover this."

Remus was quiet for a few moments. Grace listened to him breathe as she tried to level out her mood.

"You going to talk to me at all?" he asked.

"I don't know if I can."

"About any of it?"

Grace did not respond. She did not know how.

Remus rubbed her back, sighing. "Okay," he said. "It's okay."

 _7:01 pm_

Grace had decided to take a nap after, eventually, promising Remus that she would try to talk to him later in the evening as he 'nonchalantly' brought up Morticaine after potions class. She hoped that it would stop her racing mind, but it seemed that sleeping had brought her no refuge. She was trying to decide what she could tell Remus and was trying to remember what she, haphazardly, already had. She had decided that maybe there would be something in her handbook to help her, but found it missing from her bag. She suspected Lily, but could not seem to locate the redhead. She seriously considered breaking her promise to Remus and wanted to erase his memory.

That was why she was standing in the middle of the marauder's dormitory, looking at the four boys expectantly.

"Where is she?" Grace demanded.

"Who?" James asked.

"The red-haired klepto."

James glanced at Remus who shrugged. "Who?" he asked again.

"Lily!"

"Lily Evans?" James asked.

Grace impatiently replied, "Of course Lily Evans!" She really should not miss meals; apparently she was easily agitated when she was hungry.

"Is a kleptomaniac?" James continued.

"She took my book again."

Remus gave her a small smile. "I'll help you find her," he said. "As long as you don't lock anyone in a closet again." He looked at Sirius. "Pads, can I have the map?"

Sirius quickly turned his head towards Remus, looking at him strangely.

"She's already seen the map, just give it." Remus held out is hand expectantly.

"What do you mean, 'she's already seen the map'?" Sirius repeated, glancing around at James and Peter. "Do we have any secrets left that she doesn't know?"

Actions


	11. Intervention

September 19th

8:35 pm

Grace moved down the corridor with a certain degree of hesitation. She was mildly enjoying Remus' silent company while dreading further questioning regarding her earlier outburst. With some swift maneuvering, or the ability to hold a level-headed conversation with another person, Remus had retrieved Grace's book. This time, Grace was left standing beyond the large library doors while Remus handled the careful negotiations. His serene, light-heartened disposition had given her enough reason not to recreate her last chaotic mission to obtain her lost handbook and she forced herself to wait patiently for his successful return.

"How did you get it back?" Grace asked, breaking the quiet.

Remus glanced at her idly and shrugged. "I told Lily that you needed it, and asked for it."

"And she gave it to you?"

With a stifled laugh, Remus said, "You'd be surprised how far asking can get you."

"Apparently Severus didn't get the 'ask and receive' memo," Grace laughed.

"You know, Grace, technically accusing somebody of stealing and then attempting to blackmail them doesn't exactly fall under that category."

"I asked nicely the first time!" Grace protested. She sighed. "Never mind, you weren't even in there."

"Oh that's right. I suppose then I misinterpreted the dignified way you left the library and...tackled and captured Regulus Black," he teased.

Grace laughed and knocked her arm gently against his. "Okay, maybe I still need to work on my people skills."

"Actually I think you've been doing really well," Remus said, lightly. "Aside from when you're shouting at me in the middle of the school grounds."

Grace shot him a defiant look. "You started it."

"But you haven't even attempted to rub my stomach once," he continued, unwavering, "and you haven't been erasing memories...I think."

"I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind."

"I'm assuming your referring to erasing memories...but if you ask nicely I may reconsider the stomach-rubbing-"

Grace knocked his arm again playfully, interrupting him as they rounded a corner.

"Oh, before I forget," Remus said, suddenly. "Lily had some stipulations that preceded giving up your book."

Grace grimaced. "What?"

"Well, you have to talk to her about things, which you've apparently been promising to do for weeks."

Groaning, Grace said, "I don't know why she keeps bothering me so much."

"Well, maybe-and this is just a thought-she wants to be friends with you."

"Does being somebody's friend indicate that we can't withhold secret information?"

Remus shrugged. "James, Peter, Sirius, and I all tell each other everything."

"But what if you had secrets that you absolutely couldn't tell because it could have the serious repercussions of interrupting fate and could put all parties involved in danger? What if revealing some information could snowball into more information and lead to some really fucking bad things? What the hell am I supposed to do then?"

Remus was quite for a moment. "We aren't talking about you and Lily anymore, are we?" he asked. "We're talking about you and...me?"

"Are you sure I can't just erase your memory and we can start this whole thing over?"

"And what 'thing' are we talking about, exactly?"

Grace sighed.

"Hey," Remus said, stopping in his path. "Maybe we should just talk, you know...about, well, anything."

Grace felt an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She genuinely did not want to try to have this conversation.

"Look, if you can't explain pink-haired girls and futures to me, then I can live with that. But is there anything that you can talk to me about? Morticaine? Snape? You...and me?"

Grace frowned, watching a group of third-years girls pass in blissful, giggling naivety. She envied them for a moment. "We should probably go somewhere private."

Remus nodded.

Suddenly, one of the passing girls stopped, saying, "Hi, Remus!"

"Oh hello, Mary," he returned politely.

"How's your bunny?" she asked, playing with a loose strand of her hair.

Laughing Remus said, "As spunky as ever."

Grace shifted in her place awkwardly. She didn't appreciate the close proximity to Remus that this Mary was positioning herself in. She hated even more the way the third year was leaning towards him, batting her eyelashes and twirling her hair around her fingers. Thirteen-year-old girls should not have the ability to flirt, Grace decided, especially with Remus. She watched Mary's two friends giggling quietly in the background and frowned.

"Is everything alright, Grace?" Remus asked, breaking his conversation with the short brunette in front of him.

"Remus," Mary said with quiet urgency. "Isn't that James Potter's sister?" She leaned closer to him, placing a hand on his arm. "You know, the nutter?"

Something inside Grace surged as Mary's hand made contact with Remus' arm, causing her rationality to stop functioning properly. She was not entirely sure of her actions until she found her arms wrapped around Remus' middle, tugging him away from the third-year.

"It's okay," Remus said unevenly as the other girls drew their wands. "Really, she's not mental...typically. We're, er, just late for something."

Grace continued to pull Remus down the corridor until they rounded another corner, out of the sight of the girls. She touched her charm, transporting them to the seventh floor, where she stood, still fuming, without releasing Remus.

"You can let go of me now," he laughed.

Pulling away quickly, Grace apologized meekly. "Sorry." She began pacing before a wall, thinking of a quiet place where she and Remus could talk.

"What are you doing?" Remus asked. "And what was that back there? Was that jealousy...?" He trailed off as a door began to take shape. "What is that?"

"Coming?" Grace asked, opening the door.

The room was significantly smaller than it was when she used it for training. It was a particularly plain room, barren of any distractions or even furniture save the two oversized, overstuffed taupe-colored armchairs sitting in front of a marble fireplace.

"What is this place?" Remus asked again.

Grace dropped into one of the chairs, dismissing his question. "Nevermind that, tell me about this rabbit."

Remus lowered himself into the other chair, looking confused. "What?"

"Mary asked you about your 'bunny'," Grace pressed.

With a smile, Remus said, "Oh, that." He laughed. "James calls my lycanthropy my 'furry little problem' in company. People are under the impression that I own a badly behaved rabbit."*

Grace chuckled.

"So," Remus continued. "Are you going to tell me where the sudden bout of jealousy came from?"

Looking down at her hands, Grace shrugged. "I wasn't jealous about anything."

"You're going to lie about your emotions to the person who can sense them?"

"Maybe you were jealous," she muttered, looking pointedly at him.

He smiled. "I was jealous of Mary?"

Frowning, Grace remained silent. She didn't have any counterargument for his logic.

"I don't fancy her, you know?" he said, idly. "And a couple of weeks ago she was acting that way around Sirius. I think she's going through a phase. By next week, she'll probably be making eyes at your brother. There's no reason to be jealous."

Grace didn't say anything.

"You know," Remus said with a good-natured tone. "I don't think you have the right to be jealous, for that matter, with you being in love with Snape and all."

"I'm not in love with Severus," Grace said, finally. "We're soul mates. So someday we will be in love...I think. I'm not actually sure how that works, exactly." She stood up, feeling a bit restless. "And I wasn't jealous," she added as an afterthought. "And I can feel any way I want to, thanks. Besides, you're going to meet your soul mate someday, too."

"Oh, so I get my own Snape," he said wryly. "I can't wait for that. Tell me, is that the girl with the pink hair?"

Grace sat down on the arm of Remus' chair, putting a hand on his shoulder. "This is serious, Remus! You can't be having feelings for me because we're not meant to be with each other. If we are going to be friends, you have to remember that you don't belong to me. You're going to meet somebody, someday, that will make you whole and-"

She was cut off as Remus pulled her gently down onto his lap with a small smile on his face. "I keep forgetting that the feelings we're experiencing are manifesting on my own accord," he said quietly. "Like the way you're stomach is fluttering quite pleasantly, that's actually me, right?"

Grace swallowed roughly, her heart racing. She should have known better than to sit close to him. "Yeah," she said, attempting to sound firm.

"And it's inappropriate for my skin to be burning when I touch you?"

"Yeah."

"Because I'm going to belong to somebody else?"

"Yup."

"I don't belong to anybody." He placed an arm behind her back, supporting her.

Grace attempting to steady her breathing, feeling far too warm. "Remus..."

"But you think that it will infringe upon our friendship if I do this?" he asked, running a thumb across her cheekbone.

"Yeah," she said weakly.

"Or this?" He leaned in closely, bumping their noses together.

"...yeah."

"Or this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper as he pressed his lips to hers.

Grace froze, her mind spinning. Her body reacted in a strange, new way as he kissed her. She felt like she couldn't breathe, but she really didn't care. Her stomach was alive with butterflies, her flesh felt as though it was going to melt from her bones if it wasn't for the pleasant chills that ran across her. It felt like an eternity that they were in the isolated position, neither of them moving or breathing, before Remus finally pulled back slightly.

He looked down at her silently, uncertainty beginning to constrict his chest, uncomfortably.

Grace could not think straight. She reached up to lace her fingers through his tawny hair before recapturing his lips.

Remus tightened his hold on her, tracing his fingers lightly across her jawline.

Gasping, Grace pulled away from him. She blinked, reality crashing down around her again, and quickly scurried out of Remus' lap. "M-morticaine," she sputtered. "You wanted to know about the entire poison thing, right?" she asked nervously.

Remus watched her for a moment and Grace couldn't quite read the hurricane of emotions that were racing through him. Something in his eyes seemed to click, as though he had come to a decision, and he stood, closing the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her back and rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah," he whispered. "Tell me about that."

September 20th

4:05 pm

"And how is your concealment charm coming along?" Albus asked, lightly.

Grace had been working on a spell that would allow her to be outside of the protective barriers of Hogwarts, without having to worry about being put in harms way. Bartholomew, her ancestor, had created the spell Obfuscate. It was a very powerful confounding spell that would cause the subjects' mind to become too muddled to function properly for short periods of time. Grace favored it to the Confundus Charm because it rendered the target unable to react all together. They typically would just stare into nothingness until the spell was removed or wore off.

She was using its base to create a slightly different charm that would obscure the target of the spell from unwanted attention. Similar to the Disillusionment Charm and the Bedazzling Hex, it would conceal the target, but would not make it invisible. Instead, it would cause the target to be overlooked by any unwanted persons or creatures. Thus, Grace deemed it the Omission Charm (Praetereo Pretereo ).

"Perfected," Grace said, bouncing her feet distractedly on the floor. Ever since she and Remus had kissed, she found herself oddly nervous and inattentive. She had spent a great deal of the previous night avoiding Remus as well as most of today. Today had been a bit more difficult as she had History of Magic and Transfigurations with him. When she wasn't avoiding him, she was pulling him into alcoves and closets to relive sweet, innocent kisses.

She was confused.

"Is everything alright, Grace?" Albus asked.

She glanced up at him, realizing that she had been focusing her attention on pattern of the floor. "Yeah," she said. "I'm just a bit tired. But, really, I have got the Omission Charm down! It's perfectly safe for me to go..."

Albus considered her plea for a moment, drawing in a deep breath. "If your adventure to Hogsmeade on Saturday and your venture into the Forbidden Forest go well," Grace smiled as she realized that he had granted her permission to go to Hogsmeade, "and you can prove to me that this charm works effectively for long periods of time, then I don't see any reason why you would be unable to visit your parents for a day or so over the Holidays."

A smile broke out across Grace's face and she made an appreciative noise. "Thank you so much, Albus! Your the best!" Grace made to leave, excited to ask her brother if had heard back from their parents yet.

"Oh Grace," Albus called before she could reach the door. "While I have you, I was wondering if we could have a conversation about your grades."

Grace groaned, but turned back towards Albus.

7:34 pm

Grace inhaled the milky white smoke of her cigarette as she sunk further into the hot, rejuvenating bathwater. She had missed dinner, having decided to put her extra energy into good use by doing a couple laps around the lake. It had taken all of her effort to come back to her dormitory and slide into the bath instead of rushing immediately to James. She knew by seeing James, she would also have to see Remus. That would only result in more bewildering kissing excursions.

She needed to sort through her emotions before she saw Remus again.

At the same time, she felt terrible. She knew he was sitting in his dormitory right now, feeling just as confused as she was. They needed to actually talk this through sans distractions, despite how enjoyable those distractions were. Perhaps they needed a mediator.

Grace jumped as the door swung open. "For fuck's sake, Lily!" she exclaimed as the redhead closed the door behind her. "What's with all of the bathing intrusions?"

"It's the only time you don't run away from me," Lily said, honestly. "Now would you please just talk to me. I think I've figured most of this whole thing out...but I have so many questions."

Grace sighed took another drag off of her cigarette. "What do you want to know?"

September 21st

12:35

Grace opened the closet door slowly, peering out into the abandoned corridor. "Okay," she said. "I think everyone's gone to lunch now." She shoved the door the remainder of the way open and stepped out into the hall.

"Why are we sneaking around in closets?" Remus asked warily. "It's just a kiss."

"Kisses," Grace corrected. "Multiple kisses, and they're wrong."

"Why?"

"Do we have to go over this again?" Grace demanded, exasperated. "Why don't you go to lunch, you're hungry."

"So are you," he said. "You're not coming?"

Grace shook her head. "I've got to run around or something."

"You need to eat." he laughed.

"Then I'll run all the way to the kitchens."

"Did you still want help with your Transfigurations homework tonight?"

"Will we be getting any homework done?"

"Maybe," Remus said playfully, pulling Grace into another kiss.

Grace sighed contentedly and distanced herself from him. "I'll see you later."

She bolted down the corridor, hoping to exhaust the unsettling emotions within her if she physically tired herself. She sped down a flight of stairs, distracted by rampant unwanted thoughts and emotions. She lost track of her steps after, traveling down stairs, corridors and hallways blindly for an indeterminable length of time. Her legs began to ache by the time she turned a corner and collided with another object.

With a grunt, she tumbled to the unforgiving stone floor accompanied by a bombardment of books and a second body.

Grace pushed herself up, her mind still in a haze, grimacing at her skinned palms.

"Potter? What the hell are you doing down here?"

Grace turned quickly at Severus' demanding voice as he picked himself up from the floor. "Oh shit, Severus, I'm sorry...I didn't-" Grace stopped herself, realizing that he probably wouldn't care that it was an accident. She stooped back down quickly, collecting some of the scattered texts instead.

Severus grumbled to himself as he joined her on the ground for the remainder of his books.

She needed him to help her with her potion brewing, which would first be dependent on an alternation in his arbitrary hostile attitude towards her. Grace surmised that knocking him to the ground would do nothing to assist that change, so she was sulking heatedly by the time she relinquished his books, meeting his annoyed expression with a scowl of her own. Remus' words returned to her about asking, but the unsettling feeling in her stomach nearly caused her to halt in her efforts.

"Severus," she called quickly when she realized that he had already continued in his path in the wake of her silent thought.

Grace scurried to obstruct his way again, ignoring the palpable glower on his face. "Severus, I need a favor," she said with a degree of uncertainty.

Severus' face contorted slightly, as if he had tasted something particularly sour. "Why would I do a favor for you, Potter?" he spat venomously, moving to step around her.

"Just hear me out," Grace plead, grabbing hold of one of his arms.

He tore out of her grasp violently. "Don't touch me-"

"-Yes, fine," Grace interrupted. "I wont touch your precious self, now just listen!"

Severus sent her a glaring look, opening his mouth to say something, but Grace didn't give him the opportunity to speak.

"I understand the concept of potion-brewing," she said carefully, "it's the process. Apparently I'm terrible at it-"

"-so you're an incapable dunderhead; I'm not certain that's an improvement-"

"-and I was wondering if you could show me how to properly brew them," she finished unwavering. "You know, instead of wasting your time sitting in the library, accomplishing nothing."

He rolled his eyes in an irksome manner. "Brewing potions outside of class is against the rules," he said sharply. "Which means that we would need a location where we wouldn't be seen, not to mention the ingredients to brew-"

"-I know someplace!" Grace interjected. "And I can buy supplies in Hogsmeade tomorrow-"

"-and why would I trouble myself with helping you, Potter?"

Grace winced at his tone this time, her mind racing for a sufficient reason. "I can do a favor for you in return."

"Like what?" he scoffed.

"I don't know...what do you want?"

He snorted, attempting to step around her again. "Nothing from you."

She was coming up empty and began to panic as he began to move down the dungeon corridor. "I'm friends with Lily Evans!" she called suddenly.

That stopped him. He turned quickly with an unreadable expression on his face. "So?" he asked, irritated, after a moment.

Grace stepped forward, closing a some of the gap between them. "I-I might be able to convince her to speak with you."

He remained silent, observing her intently.

She continued after a moment, her stomach dropping slightly. "That's what you want, isn't it? To talk with her?"

Severus' expression did not change.

"I-I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I'm sure that I can talk her into having a conversation with you," she said. "I have it on good grounds that you...that you fancy her-"

"-none of this is any of your business," Severus spat.

"A conversation with Lily for you teaching me how to brew potions," Grace said, firmly. "I really need your help, Severus."

He was quiet for a moment, before his expression hardened. "If you're such good friends with Lily, then I'm sure she'll show you how to brew potions-"

"-you'll give up an opportunity to have a few minutes of Lily's time?"

"Fine," he said quietly.

Grace was about to press further when she realized that he had agreed. Her stomach heaved unpleasantly; Severus really did love Lily, then. "Thank you...just be outside of the Gryffindor common room at like eight tomorrow night. I'll make sure she meets you."

He nodded before turning away from her again.

She waited until he was out of sight to slide down the cool, stone wall that she hadn't realized had been supporting her weight for some time. She licked her dry lips, telling herself that she had no right to be upset over Severus' feelings for Lily-not when she was sneaking around kissing Remus.

"The filthy blood-traitor, down in the dungeons, all by herself?"

Graced raised her head lazily at Regulus' scathing voice, staring at the wand aimed at her. "Not now, Regulus," she whined. "I'm busy sulking."

"How dare you?" he spat. "Nobody's given you permission to address me so informally. You should show more respect for your superiors-"

Grace flicked her hand towards him, sending him flying across the corridor with an unspoken stunner. She really did not want to deal with his ridiculous ideology at the moment. She decided that she shouldn't linger in the dungeons for very long, however; there were an astounding number of Slytherins who wouldn't hesitate to hex her, given their grudges towards her brother and his friends.

5:21 pm

Grace found herself in Remus' lap again, enjoying the waves of excitement that rushed through her as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip. She gasped slightly, opening her mouth just enough to let his wandering tongue in to explore her mouth. As she felt the pink muscle nudge her own tongue, so that they began to move against each other in a slow, sensual battle, she lost control. She pulled on the back of his head roughly, impossibly attempting to bring their mouths closer together. Grace's mind was a foggy in the wake of lips, tongues, and clashing teeth, dizzying her to no end. She had never contemplated the degrees of kissing before, nor did she have any experience to compare kisses to, but she significantly preferred these heated kisses to the gentle pecks that they had previously exchanged.

Remus pulled away from her, his face flushed, furiously pink. Grace could only imagine that her own face mirrored his. "We have to stop," he said discordantly.

Grace leaned forward to press her lips against his again. "Why?"

"It's very warm in here," he said unevenly. "And I-I...we have to stop."

He maneuvered his way from beneath Grace and slid out of the chair, straightening his robes.

Grace frowned, but stood as well to collect her unfinished Transfigurations homework from the large table in front of her.

"It was probably not the best idea to study in the Room of Requirements," Remus remarked, still sounding slightly dazed.

"I had fun," Grace said idly, shoving her homework back into her bag.

Remus chuckled. "I meant that it wasn't the most beneficial place to do your homework. Why are we in here, anyway?"

Grace shrugged.

"You know," he continued, "instead of the library, or the common room, or even the dorms? Who, exactly are we hiding from?"

"We aren't hiding," Grace said uncertainly.

"Really? All of the sneaking around could have fooled me."

Grace didn't say anything, busying herself with closing her pack instead.

"My first thought was that you didn't want Snape to see you with me-"

Grace coughed in surprise.

"-but realized that Snape couldn't see us in the common room. So then I guessed it might be because of your brother, although I'm not entirely sure why. But he has the map and, as Sirius is constantly reminding me, they've all seen us in broom closets together and even disappearing off of the map on the seventh floor yesterday. So, although you've been avoiding them like they've got Dragon Pox, I still see them multiple times a day. They know, Grace."

"We aren't hiding," Grace said again.

"Aren't we?"

She frowned, turning to face Remus finally. "Remus, we aren't supposed to be doing this-"

"-according to? What? Your book? What you've seen of your future? Tell me, how does your and Snape's wedding pan out?"

"I can't see my own future, Remus," she said bitterly.

"But you can see mine?"

"Some of it."

"Which means that you're not in it, because you can't see your own future?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice even. "So, where are you then?"

"I don't know," she muttered, breaking their eye contact.

"And what happens if you decided to be a part of my future?" he pressed. "What if we changed that?"

"You can't change fate, Remus."

"Why not?"

Grace sighed, wrapping her arms around him gently, looking up at him. "Everything should become more clear as time passes."

"I want you to be a part of my future..."

She released him, swinging her back over her shoulder. "You hardly know me."

"How can I know you when you still only talk to me when I practically beg you?"

"I talk to you every day."

"You know what I mean."

Grace was silent for a moment, contemplating how to handle this conversation. "Iliva callavant falival illavin lollivov walatith yallavou."

"Why not?" Remus asked.

Startled, Grace gaped at him. "How did you...? You understood that?"

He regarded her, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I was speaking in a different fucking language, Remus! It's the dialect of the Cruors...how...?"

"All you said was, 'I can't fall in love with you." Remus added as an afterthought, "In English."

Grace frowned. That was curious. At least now she knew when she didn't have enough courage to say something to him, then she couldn't dress it up in that language. "No, it wasn't," she said. "It doesn't matter right now, we should head back. Dinner's soon."

She felt his arms around her and she looked up at him, allowing him to kiss her again. She smiled.

After gathering the remainder of their papers, speaking very little to one another, they departed. What they did not expect was Sirius, Peter, and James to be waiting in the hall across from the Room of Requirement.

Grace blinked at them.

"This is an intervention," Sirius informed, lightly.

Remus chuckled.

* * *

AN: The asterisked abridged quote is from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, p. 314, by J.K. Rowling.

Translations: I can't fall in love with you


End file.
